Blak Nites
by BlakNites240
Summary: Blak Nites is the name of a Myogi street racing team. This is my Zero to Hero story basically. They start with nearly nothing and work their way up through racing and winning. Complete.
1. Intro to the Blak Nites

Nik (Nick) drifted through his first corner with ease, accelerating at the finish. He smiled. Nik had loved driving since he was 14 when he lived in America. He moved to Japan when he turned 19 and has been living and driving there ever since.

The second turn approached fast. He heel/toe downshifted to second so he could make it through. He was almost ready to accelerate when he saw a black sil-eighty pull up behind him. He smirked to Mei as he passed him and went on to the third turn. Mei, originally Mike, moved to Japan with Nik when he did.

Together they had formed Blak Nites, their street racing team. Back in the good ol' US, Mei had driven a black Chevrolet Monte Carlo and Nik had driven a black Nissan 240SX. They had to leave their cars back in America with their mommies when they came to the east side of the world. Here they scrounged up enough cash to get their two cars, Mei's black Nissan Sil-Eighty and Nik's black Mazda RX-7 FC3S.

They both entered Myogi's third downhill turn going at a high speed. Nik looked into his rear-view mirror and saw that Mei had his "This is where I'm gonna pass you" look on. He smiled and began his drift. He slid the car sideways with Mei's right behind him. Mei's accelerator revved a few seconds early and Nik thought Mei was gonna ram the guardrail. Nik was getting ready to accelerate when mike scraped up against him, he felt the bump. He looked over with a "What the hell?!?!" look on his face and then saw Mei blow past him on his way to the next turn.

Nik smiled and continued along the long road back to their house. He pulled into their garage after mike and looked over to him as he got out of his sil-eighty.

"Nice run there Mei." He smiled at him.

He looked back to Nik, "Ya, I guess. You should try to accelerate more when you come out, you'll do much better at speeding up." He smiled

Nik smirked at him, "You know I cant, my engine has too much power there buddy" He walked over to the door and went into the kitchen with Mei following him.

Nik and Mei had coffee and went to their rooms. They had both had a good run tonight and needed sleep before they went to work tomorrow.


	2. The challenge of Blue Blaze

Nik woke up at 4 am, 4 hours before Mei. He had an early morning job he needed to get started on early. He had to drive to the end of Gunma to do his first delivery. They made him deliver to The Lake Akina Hotel in the mornings, The Usui shopping center at noon, and Akagi's rest stop around 5 at night. He walked out to his third car, his piece a crap he bought for deliveries, a Hachiroku. He started up its stock engine and drove out of his garage and down the mountain.

Nik got to the tea shop at 4:30. He walked in and saw his boss standing with his delivery order. He picked up the boxes and loaded them in the trunk of his Hachiroku. He slid out of the driveway at 5 and drove towards Mt. Akina.

He had gotten used to driving Mt. Akina over time. He slid through the uphill easily. He learned how to pack the boxes so the didn't slide. This way he could drift. He stopped at The Lake Akina Hotel at 5:30. He unloaded the boxes and turned around and headed home for a few more hours of sleep.

When he got back, Mei was still asleep. He slipped into his bedroom and fell asleep quickly. He was nuts to get up this early, but he needed the money.

Mei got up at 8 am like he always did. He stretched his legs and made himself coffee. He got into his Sil-Eighty and drove to the gas station. He went into the locker room and changed into his uniform. He walked back to the front of the station and got to work pumping the gas for the resident's of Gunma.

Nik got back up at ten. He walked into the kitchen and cooked himself some eggs. He smiled as he ate his eggs and drank his coffee. He went back into his Hachiroku at 11:30 and drove down to the tea shop again. He went through the same routine three times a day, just on a different mountain. He then drove towards Usui.

He liked going to Usui because the mountain was curvy, excellent for practicing his swaying drift. Unfortunately the road was packed with Sunday drivers here on Tuesday. He sighed, _I'm gonna be late... _

Mei was in the middle of his work day when he saw a blue R34 pull up. He checked out the AWD car with great admiration. It reminded him of his Monte Carlo back home. The sign on the side said "Blue Blaze" with a picture of blue fire surrounding the words.

The guy opened the window and looked at Mei, "Fill it up with high octane."

Mei smiled and opened his gas cap, "You've got a nice 34 right there."

The man looked back to him, "You know your car's pretty good for a gas station attendant. You race?"

Mei looked back after he put the nozzle into his gas tank, "Ya, I'm on a two man team called the Blak Nites, Me and my cousin Nik. My names Mei."

The guy looked Mei down, "My name Hiro, leader of Blue Blaze. Hey, you wanna race sometime?"

Mei looked back and thought for a second. He and Nik hadn't raced another team from here in Japan since they got here. They were good but could they beat another team? Only one way to find out, "Ya sure, we'll race you. Where do you run?"

Hiro smiled, "Akagi. We can race on Saturday night around ten. Sound good to you?"

Mei smiled and put the nozzle back, "See you on Saturday then."

Mei watched the 34 drive away and he smiled. He couldn't wait to tell Nik. Luckily he didn't have to, as he saw Nik pull in to the gas station with his Hachiroku.

Mei walked over to Nik's 86 and opened his gas tank, "Hey, you wanna race on Saturday night at Akagi?"

Nik looked back to Mei, "Why the hell would I want to race there when we can just race here at Myogi?"

Mei smiled and started to pump the gas, "Because we got a challenge from a 34 driver named Hiro from Blue Blaze, you ever heard of them?"

Nik smiled. He was itching for a race with meaning. He looked back to him, "Ya, look." He handed Mei a magazine with a picture of the guy Mei just met on it standing in front of his 34.

"Wow, there more famous then I thought." He studied the pic, "Do they have specs on his car in this magazine?"

"Ya they do. Hold on to it, I'll see you tonight." Nik pulled out of the gas station the second Mei had put his gas cap back on. He smiled because he had finally gotten his racing career going somewhere.

Mei got home at 6 that night. Nik had already left on his night time delivery to Akagi. He sat down in his chair and flipped on a race on channel 14. It was a civic race around a track. He didn't like the way the EG-6 looked. He had never driven an FF before so he didn't know how it felt. He didn't care, he was happy with his sil-eighty.

Nik Drove into the rest stop at Akagi at 6:30. He unloaded his boxes with the guy from the restaurant there. When he finished he looked over to a car two parking spaces away from him. It was an FD, the model after his car, the FC. He smiled at the huge wing at had on it. It was blue and had a sticker from the Blue Blaze's team. He must be one of there drivers. The guy standing by it looked like a racer. Nik smiled and got back in his Hachiroku. He drove fast to get himself home.

When he got home Mei was watching another race, a European rally. He sat down on the couch, "Did you get the specs on the 34?"

Mei looked over to him lazily, "Ya, it's pretty good. He's running a RB26DETT Straight 6 like my MC back home. The difference is that he's running a AWD system. He might try to go for a power over in the corners. If he drift's, we'll have a problem. The car's got mad acceleration so when it comes out it'll blow right past us when it comes out. Your FC has a low acceleration compared and the same with the sil-eighty."

Nik thought for a sec about what he could do to win this race. A 34 is a really good car and his FC might be able to take its predecessors but the car that was out now was two fast. It should be close if he went for a power over. He could only hope, "Ok, you wanna go put in some practice time?"

Mei looked back to him, "Nah, let's just sleep. Two day's till the race, just get yourself mentally set."

Nik looked back to him, "Why am I racing?"

Mei looked back, "Because you drive Akagi everyday and I'm lucky if I drive at once every couple a weeks. You know it better."

Nik sighed because he knew he was gonna lose this battle. He just walked into his room and passed out. He didn't wanna deal with Mei tonight. However you look at it, he would have to race sooner or later. Unfortunately sooner was Saturday.....


	3. A good call and A undecided race

Friday went by faster than usual. The expectations of the race were on both their minds. They both wanted to win but they knew they could barley expect to keep up. The most important part of the whole day was a phone call Nik got around 3 in the morning.

At three, the phone had ringed. Nik got up and answered it. It was his brother Alex.

He talked into the receiver, "Hey Al, long times no talk."

He talked back, "Ya, it has been a while. How you doing?"

Nik said, "Ya, it's good. It's kind of late though. Time differences and all."

Al spoke back, "Ya, well..... I kind of have a question I wanna ask you though."

Nik had a surprised look on his face, "Ahh, sure. Shoot."

Al took a deep breath before he spoke, "I wanna come to Japan with you for a few months."

Nik jumped back. When he lived in America his bro hated his obsession with Japan. Coming to stay with him didn't seem like him, "If you wanna come be my guest. What changed your mind about Japan?"

He sighed, "Well, I'm Almost 17 now and I've been driving your 240..."

Nik's voice raised. Al was driving his car without asking him. He didn't do that without asking him, "You've been driving MY 240?!"

Alex was scared now. He forgot to tell his bro he'd been driving his car. He had forgot how much his bro's car meant to him. He acted innocent and quickly made up an excuse, "Mom and Dad told me to drive it. They needed me to do errands and they didn't want me using their cars."

Nik rubbed his temple and breathed out. He wanted his bro to be out here. He was ashamed of it, but he missed him. He talked back, "When are you coming out?"

Al talked back, "I'll be there on Tuesday, see you then!" He smiled and hung up.

That was basically the whole phone conversation. After that he went back to sleep. Then Friday came and gone fast. Soon it was late Saturday afternoon and Nik was sitting in his chair. Mei walked into the house after finishing putting gas in the FC. He smiled and said, "Let's go."

Nik walked over to his car and Mei got in his Sil-eighty. They pulled out of the drive and headed for Akagi. They got there at 8 o'clock, pretty early. They decided to take one practice run together to get used to the curves at higher speeds. Nik usually drove Akagi at medium speed, so race speed was a little new to him. He didn't care much, he could guess about the right speed. He took the corner's just like he would at Myogi.

At 9 they started to see people arrive at the mountain. They were mostly just kid's who power slided through corners. It wasn't until 9:30 when Blue Blaze drove up. He smiled at them as he saw about ten cars in a row pull up to the top of the mountain. He saw an S-13, two S-15's, Three 180's, a 240, A WRX, The 34, and at the front was The FD.

Nik and Mei saw all the car's except the 34 and The FD pull up on his side. They were surprised to see two car's pull up to the starting line. They walked over and met the two guys.

Mei smiled to Hiro, "Hey Hiro. Welcome." He smiled politely.

Hiro looked back, "Mei, nice to see you." He put out his hand to Nik, "Hiro, nice to meet you."

Nik shook his hand, "Nik, nice car." He stared down Nik's FC. Nik looked at the other guy; he was a lot quieter than Hiro.

He finally spoke to the two of them, "So are we gonna get this race going or what? Me and Hiro are ready, So lets go." He walked to his FD and started it up.

Mei looked at Hiro funny, "What did he mean the both of you?"

"Oh yeah, we didn't explain. This is gonna be a we call "The Mountain Relay Race"." He held up a blue and red electronic stopwatch, "This race is all about time's, that's why we use stopwatches. One person run's the uphill and the other the downhill. They pass the stopwatch to each other at the meeting point at the top of the hill. I'm gonna run the up hill and the FD will take the downhill. You guy's can choose whose doing what." He walked over to his car and began to drive down the hill, "I'll see one of you at the bottom."

Mei scratched his head. He hated being the brains of there driving operation. He looked at Nik, "Ok, I'll run the uphill, I'm better with power overs. You just sit up here and wait for me to get here. I'll be back quick, I hope." He sighed and got into his Sil-eighty. He drove down after Hiro.

Nik sighed and got into his FC. He pulled up to the line next to the FD. He looked over to he guy and nodded. He smiled lightly with no response. He then just stared at the road ahead.

Mei pulled up to the bottom of Akagi with Hiro. They both sat on the line for a few minutes until a guy came in between them and held up a flag. He began counting down from 10. _10...9...8_ Mei and Hiro both revved up _6...5...4 _they centered themselves on the road _3...2...1...GO!_


	4. The Mountain Relay Race

Hiro's 34 got the better start in the race. Mei was tailing, but keeping up pretty good. Mei was pushing into higher gears than Hiro though. He was hoping his power overs would keep him in this race, but the 34 had such a powerful engine....

He decided fuck it. If he lost, he lost, but he would give it his all. He shifted up to fourth and started gaining on the 34. The first corner approached. It was side so he pulled a power over and gained on the 34 a little, but the car pulled farther away at the end. This guy knew what he was doing.

Mei pushed the Sil-eighty to the red line of fourth gear. He didn't wanna go to fifth because then he wouldn't be able to downshift very well if he had to drift. He went for another power over on the second turn with slightly better results. The 34 was pulling strong but his car was able to pull along with it into the turn. Unfortunately he felt the back end slide slightly. He wouldn't be able to take a lot of turns like that because he'd eventually lose rear traction and spin out.

He knew he'd have to brake more. He decided to see how much by working it in the third and fourth turns. He went into the third at a high speed. He braked relatively hard and saw the 34 power through hard. That was too much. The 34 got a lot of ground on him in that one. He was lucky the road was straight so he could catch up.

By the time he caught up the fourth turn was coming on. He decided to go very light on this one. As he entered the turn he did a double tap on the brakes, slowing down only slightly. He still had the same problem as he had in the second turn, but less of which. He had found out how to enter the turns. On these kinds of turns, he would tap the brake three times before entering. This will prevent him form spinning out and from having to slow down to much.

His plan worked. He took the next turns with ease. He was doing fine now, but his thoughts soon drifted to the hairpin turns closer to the top, the three of them. He would need to mix a drift and a power over to make it through well. He could do this and he thought this might be the point where he could catch up on the 34.

The first hairpin dawned on him. He began his drift as the 34 broke. He stopped his drift when the three two was still braking. When Hiro was getting ready to accelerate, Mei was already driving past him. He had found a way to beat the 34. He continued to do this all the way threw all three hairpins, catching distance each time. Soon he was at the last turn....

Nik had sat in his FC for about twenty minutes before he heard the engine of Mei's Sil-eighty. When he heard it, he started his engine and gunned the engine. The FC next to him was the same way. They both had the same engine but his car was weighted different. He had one more for getting speed on straights and his was for drifting. Still he could hit the corners just like him. He soon saw Mei's car coming up.

He saw that Mei was ahead, but the 34 was almost neck and neck. He saw Mei hold out the stop watch. He stuck his hand out as well. Mei pulled his E-brake and held the car straight. He was down to 10 mph when he handed Nik the stop watch and Nik shot out like a bat out of a greasy batters hands.

_Meanwhile in America..._

Nik's brother, Al, was cutting class again. He drove through the streets of Winsted in his bro's 240 and smiled while he did it. He wanted to enjoy today because it was his second to last day he had of freedom. Tomorrow was spent with his mom buying him stuff he needed for his trip and Sunday was for packing. He would leave around 1 am that morning. He would get to Japan at 2:00 pm with the time difference.

He didn't have much to miss when he left. No real friends, no girl's he was actually attached to and his parents and sister would be fine. He soon got to the one good drifting turn near his house. He downshifted to third and floored it. He came to the turn and pulled his E-brake making him lose rear traction. He clutched in and waited for the moment to accelerate. He accelerated perfectly and shot straight up the next small hill.

He smiled and drove around the town again, this time going to McDonalds. He sat inside eating a double cheeseburger day dreaming about Japan...

_Back in Japan..._

Nik approached the first turn and hit it at full speed. The turn was a little rough but he pulled through with the FD right behind him. He started the first hairpin the same as the FD. He slid around it and accelerated hard at the end. When Nik was racing, he was in a whole different world. His mind was set and he was only paying attention to his movements and his speed.

Nik handled the second two hairpins the same as the first. The FD augmented its technique and took the leading spot in the race. Nik didn't pay a lot of attention now. He had a whole mountain to pass him.

Nik pushed the third corner with a 4-wheel drift, getting closer to the FD. He smiled and pushed himself out of the corner. He began to gain on the FD. He was at its rear end at the start of the next corner. He pulled through and went to pass on the inside but the FD pulled to close and blocked him. The FD driver could hold his own.

Nik attempted an outside pass on the next turn with the same results. He had been blocked once again. This mountain had walls on the inside so he couldn't pull a dirt drop drift. He sighed and thought about what he could do as he took another corner.

Nik decided he was gonna try something he had done in the Hachiroku by accident on purpose. As he exited the corner he went straight into another drift. He saw the opening in the guard rails. The next turn was a light hairpin and they were on a small grassy hill. He accelerated through the opening and down the slant. He pulled of the slant as the FD finished the corner. Nik had regained the lead by driving off course.

He smiled because there were only two more turns. He pulled through those with ease and finished off to win the race. His mixed time was 33:32:11 with Mei's uphill. His opponent's had gotten 34:01:32. They had won the time trial and the race. He smiled and got out of his car. He took out his cell phone.

At the top Mei waited anxiously for info on the race. He felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. He took it out and looked on the screen. It was Nik. He pressed the talk button, "What happened."

Nik smiled, "We won...."


	5. The Legend and The WRX

Mei hopped right in to his Sil-eighty and drove down the mountain. When he got to the bottom he jumped onto Nik. The both of them kept jumping up and down like giddy little girls. They were both happy and Hiro could do little less than laugh. They were both like little kids.

They stopped at a sushi bar on the way home. Mei was so happy he paid. While they were stuffing there faces full of sushi they talked.

Mei spoke with a mouth full of sushi, "I can't believe we won. That was the best uphill I'd ever run. It was sweet."

Nik looked back, "Ya, same with my downhill. I can't believe my hill trick actually worked. It was seriously sweet."

"Hey, you think we'll get any publicity from beating Blue Blaze?" Mei said with a mouth full of Vegan Sushi.

Nik looked back, "Doubtful, we beat one team. Not to mention they weren't even that good."

Mei swallowed and gave a disapproving look at Nik, "No, they were very good. That was their leading racers first loss. They were good, but we were better!" The whole restaurant looked at Mei but he wasn't paying attention.

Nik smiled, "I guess. Hey, you did an excellent job on those hairpins. You really showed the 34 why it's better to be an FR drifter than an AWD gripper."

Mei smiled, "Well that was nothing. Your downhill run was a classic battle. The old vs. the new, it was like something you read about man. And your slant technique, I didn't know you had that kinda shit up your sleeve."

Nik looked back with a smile on his face before he ate another piece of sushi. He was as proud as Mei was about their winning. It was their first race against a great team and they had handled it great. Now they just had to wait for what would happen next.

The both of them barley slept all that night. In the end, they slept through most of Sunday except for a couple of meals. Soon Monday came and they had to go to work. Nik got up on time and went to the tea shop. He loved pulling the Akina run, it was fun. This time he ran it he wasn't thinking about the fun of the run, but about which team ran on Akina....

Mei got up early that morning for some reason. He walked out into the kitchen and cooked pancakes. By the time he had finished 8 pancakes for himself, Nik walked in the door. Mei reluctantly handed him 3 pancakes and sat down at the table with his coffee. Nik sat down across from him.

Nik looked at Mei, "Did I tell you that Al called?"

Mei looked back to him with the look of "no" on his face and said, "Nope."

Nik put some pancakes into his mouth, "Ya, he's coming to stay with us for a few months."

Mei almost choked on his coffee, "That dickhead is coming to stay with us?

Nik laughed, "Ya, for a while. He wants to do some mountain drifting with us."

Mei wiped his lip, "What is he gonna drive? The Hachiroku?"

Nik looked back, "Ya, I guess. Unless you wanna give up your Sil-eighty."

Mei looked back with a disapproving look. Nik smiled and finished of his pancakes. He slid back into his room and fell asleep while Mei got dressed. Nik heard Mei's Sil-eighty peel out of their garage and he smiled.

Nik had gotten to Usui at a good time. The road was clear and he could drift. He accelerated to near red line in third gear. He smiled as he took the first turn. The Usui turns are fun because there are so many and they come so fast. Nik took these corners with his swaying drift and enjoyed every minute of it. Soon he saw he was being tailed by a Yellow Subaru WRX STi. He accelerated more and the STi stayed with him real good. It was moving like an FR but with more acceleration.

He pulled a 180 at the end of the next turn and the WRX stopped as well. Nik stepped out of his car. The driver of the WRX hopped out and walked over to him. He smiled and looked at Nik's Hachiroku.

The guy smiled, "Nice moves back there. I'm Sano. What's your name?" He put his hand out politely.

Nik smiled back, "My name's Nik. You're pretty good with your Subaru. It moves like an FR but faster."

Sano smirked back, "Yup, it's 'cause of the AWD system. It allows me to accelerate with more power when I drift."

Nik looked at his WRX, "Right, very nice. Who do you run with?"

"I run with Hidden Gold. What about you?" He said back while examining Nik's Hachiroku.

Nik watched his eyes scan the 86, "I run with the Blak Nites and that's not my racing car. I actually run an FC."

Sano looked back, "Oh, ok. I was wondering how you beat Blue Blaze with an ol' 86."

Nik put a smile on his face. Maybe they were getting some publicity for there win, "Ya, this thing is good for doing my deliveries but I can't pull a strong downhill with such a weak car."

Sano looked back with a surprised look on his face, "Haven't you ever heard of the 86 of Akina?"

Nik looked back with a surprised look on his own face, "I thought it was just a legend."

Sano sighed and scratched the back of his head, "Trust me, it's no legend. My team raced and got destroyed by it. It was nuts."

Nik thought for a moment. He wondered how he could beat that racer, it was a challenge and he had to take it. He looked to this guy, "Hey, you wanna race team to team?"

Sano looked surprised and more importantly, interested, "Sure, why not. Meet me here on Usui Wednesday night." He smiled and got back in his WRX and peeled out.

Nik smiled for a moment before realizing he was still on the clock. He ran to the Hachiroku and peeled out towards Usui's shopping center.

Nik got home late that night after his Akagi run. He walked in and saw Mei chilling in the kitchen with a soda. Nik walked in and told him about the WRX, Sano, and the challenge. Mei agreed and went to his Sil-eighty. Nik followed and got in his FC. They both didn't have work tomorrow; they took the day off to see Al.

They raced each other down Myogi hitting top speed. Mei was hitting the turns really good and Nik was keeping a good pace. They knew there home course good as they had been driving on it for three years.

They came into the first hairpin neck and neck. Nik pulled back and let Mei turn first. As Mei went in, Nik prepared to accelerate. He was gonna take Mei's advice. His car had good acceleration and a rotary engine. His power would, could and did beat out Mei's Sil-eighty. They both accelerated but Nik had the power to beat him. He pushed through to the next corner with Mei tailing.

They finished their run around 2 am. They pulled into the garage and Mei went straight to his room before Nik could gloat. Nik smiled and went to his room with a smile on his face...


	6. The 3rd Nite

Nik and Mei woke up at ten. They ate a quick breakfast before getting in Nik's FC. He pulled out of the driveway and headed towards Tokyo. That was the airport that Al had made arrangements to land in. Nik hated driving on the highway but Mei went nuts on it. It was safer for both of them if he drove.

The FC pulled into a spot in the Airport parking lot at 1:30. They rushed past security and over to there new youngest member's gate. They sat there until 2:15 when his plane landed. Nik scanned the crowd for any sign of a blond-haired punk most likely wearing baggy cargo pants. He was right when he saw his younger brother push his way through tourists to come into the view of Nik and Mei.

The 17-year old boy walked over to Nik and Mei lugging a blue gym bag and a large black backpack. He smiled and looked at his big bro. He saw that Nik was expecting a large greeting from his little bro. He took advantage of this and threw his gym bag into his gut, "Thanks bro." He smiled and walked past him.

Nik took the full force of the bag and it lightly fazed him. He threw the bag over his shoulder and walked over to his brother. He grabbed the back of his backpack stopping him in his tracks. The blue gym bag was lightly tossed back to its owner, "Carry your own shit, got it?"

He smirked and answered, "Whatever you say bro." He was a little upset about it, but he was happy to see his bro. He got even happier when he saw the FC. He stared over to Nik, "DUDE! You got an FC!?"

The older brother looked down to the younger one, "Yeah so throw your shit in the trunk and get in the back seat." He smiled and walked got in the driver's side.

Al did what he said and walked around to Mei's side. He pulled down the sat and allowed Al to climb into the back. Nik pulled out of the lot, got back on the highway, and headed towards Gunma.

They pulled into their garage at 6:30 after stopping for a traditional Japanese meal at the Chinese restaurant. They showed Al around their home and showed him his room. Nik and Mei had some coffee while Al got comfortable. Soon he walked out to the kitchen and sat in a rather uncomfortable chair.

He looked to his brother and his cousin, "So are we going racing tonight?"

Mei smiled to him, "Do you think you can keep up with us?

Al sat forward quickly, "Hey, I'm the fastest runner on the whole lake!"

Nik smiled, "This isn't the lake Al. This is Myogi. Your swaying drift won't hold you up here. You need to be able to take single turns and then accelerate again."

Al looked upset. He hated being told what he could and could not do. He snapped back, "Why don't we race and find out whose better?"

Nik was intrigued. He quickly stood up and took out his keys. He flipped through them and took one off the chain. He slid it across the table to Al, "Get in the 86 and race me then." He stood up and walked out into their garage.

The 17 year old picked up the key and walked out to the black trueno. He sat in the passenger's seat by accident but then slid into the driver's seat. He buckled into the old seat belt and started the engine. It sounded weaker than the 240 back home, but he didn't care. He was going to beat his brother.

Nik got into his FC and fired it up. The engine was much stronger then the 86, but he was determined. He started it up and gunned the engine twice while he was in neutral. He placed the car in reverse and pulled out of the garage with Al following him.

On the way up the mountain, Al kept an eye on every turn he passed. He would need to remember them for his race. He was scared of losing but he knew he could do it. He turned around when he got to the top and pulled up to the starting line with his older brother.

Nik looked over with a grin on his face. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a Zippo lighter. He grabbed a piece of paper and lit it on fire. He threw the piece of paper in between the two of them. He explained how they would go when the paper stopped burning. They both glued their eyes to the paper as it charred up and went out.

The seconds the flames left the paper, the tires smoked as they peeled off the starting line. Nik naturally pulled ahead as he had the better motor. The 86 tailed but not by much. Nik was letting him keep a good pace. They sped toward the first turn in third gear. Nik pulled a heel/toe technique which allowed him to get into the drift just fine. Al on the other hand had to pull the e-brake to induce oversteer. They both took the turn at the same skill level with Nik pulling out at the end.

Al screamed "Damn it!" as he pulled up behind the FC. He wasn't expecting his bro to be able to drive that strongly. He didn't pay attention. He just shifted back up to third and headed to Myogi's second turn. Al was able to induce oversteer by using heel/toe and went into the corner a little more comfortably.

Al disliked this 86. It didn't have the same power as the 240 so it needed more time to induce oversteer during the drift. He would need to find a trick to get past his brother. He thought about a dirt drop drift to pull on the inside. He needed to take a few more turns to keep his bro thinking he didn't have that kinda shit up his sleeve.

Nik was driving along not even going close to red line. He was steadily pushing himself into the turns as to make all think he was doing well. He was wondering if he could actually pull something out of his ass and be able to pass him. He was keeping a comfortable pace and enjoying his "Sunday drive".

Al took about three more corners so he thought Nik was getting comfortable with his driving style. He saw the ditch around the corner and smiled. This was his passing zone. He downshifted and went into the corner wide like he had been doing. He quickly accelerated and dropped his tires into the ditch while pulling along the side of Nik's FC.

Nik stared over from his driver's seat and saw the black trueno pulling along side of him. He had pulled a dirt drop drift, a good technique. Nik smiled and held back on accelerator to allow Al to pass him. He wanted to give him some confidence before he crushed him.

Al smiled and pulled ahead of the black RX-7. He slid into place and fought to keep him behind the trueno. He had to be on his game now because he was blocking and drifting instead of tailing and drifting. He entered the third turn close to the inside trying to block Nik's pass.

Nik watched him go to the inside and went in right after him on this turn. He knew as a beginner Al would slide far to the outside because he didn't know how to fully four wheel grip. He took advantage of this. As he slid out, Nik accelerated through the gap he left and took the lead again. He pushed it up to red line and blew past Al in the 86.

Al saw Nik pass him and was stunned, so stunned that he scraped the rail. When he felt the scrape, he instinctively slammed on the brakes and skidded to a total stop. He stepped out of the car and looked at the scrape. He leaned against the tire and sighed, "Nik's gonna kill me..." He then looked to his side as he saw a set of headlights and a set of fog lights glaring on him.

Nik put down his lights and stepped out of his FC. He walked over to Al and looked at the scratch on the side of the 86. He looked over to him, "Quite a scratch on your car now isn't it."

Al looked back with a smile on his face, "My car?"

"Yup, until you go home at least."

He smiled and leaned back, "Thanks bro."

"Don't worry about it. Have fun in it."

"I will."

Al stood up and got on HIS 86 and drove down the mountain to the house. He smiled and pulled into HIS spot as Nik pulled into his. He got out and went in HIS house and walked over to HIS room. He took off HIS clothes and got into HIS bed. He went to sleep wondering what he would do tomorrow in HIS Gunma....


	7. Welcome to Japan Al

Nik walked into Al's room at 3:30 in the morning. He smiled as he slowly approached the side of his bed. He set an egg timer to go off in one minute to wake him. He sat in a chair and waited until the house rang with the sound of "DING!"

Al shot up, half asleep, but ready to kill anyone who got close. He looked around and could barley make out his older brother sitting in a chair across from him, "May I ask you why the hell you did that for?"

Nik smiled and looked over at his sleepy brother, "Time for work." He got up and walked out of the room and into the kitchen.

"What the fuck?" He stood up and walked out of the bedroom after he put on his pants. He looked for his brother and then heard the sound of the Hachiroku revving in the garage. He walked out there and slightly made out the black figure that was his car. He walked over and hopped in the passenger's seat. He stared at Nik, "You got me out here for a joy ride? This is work?"

Nik looked to his brother with a lecturing smirk, the one his father use to show him, "If you live in my house, you have to help out around the house. Since our house is never that dirty, you'll have to work as your chore. Every morning, afternoon, and evening, Monday through Friday, I drive tea to three mountains. From now on, you will do that for me, that way I can get another job."

Al looked back to him with an understanding look, "Ok then, it's better than doing house work. Not to mention I can practice my driving skills on different terrains." He smiled and looked ahead on the road.

Nik smiled and pulled out of the driveway. When he stopped at the tea shop he looked over to Al, "I'm only going with you this morning. You'll do it yourself from then on. If you get lost there's a map in the glove box." He stepped out and helped his boss load the tea.

Soon there morning run was over and they were back home. Al went back into his room and fell asleep while Nik opened the paper. He had to find that other job. He skimmed through the paper looking at every available position he could handle. He wanted to find one that took his cooking skills which he had perfected back home into the equation. He soon found a job for a short order cook at a restaurant called "Gotsu Family Restaurant"

He smiled and decided to take a drive down when Al went on his second delivery. He walked back into his bedroom as Mei was coming out of his. They nodded politely and parted ways.

Mei went into the bathroom and got in the shower. He must be the only person thinking about the race at Usui tonight. He thought about if it would be an easy race like Akagi was or if they would have to beat a harder team. They knew they weren't ready to race any bigger teams like the Night Kid's here on Myogi or Takahashi Ryosuke's Project D. He got out of the shower and sat in the kitchen with a cup of coffee thinking about tonight. He walked into the garage twirling his keys about five minutes later. It wasn't his style to not think of a race like Nik was doing.

Nik followed Al into Gunma about halfway when he took a corner and headed for the restaurant. He looked around everywhere and soon found a small restaurant in between a tofu shop and a Laundromat. The place was small and looked like it wouldn't hold many people. When he walked in he found out how right he was.

There were four booths along the side of the wall and a counter on the left hand side. There was a small area in the front that was open and a kitchen in the back. The place smelled like Japanese food, traditional style. He loved things that were done in the old style. He sat at the front counter and looked at the women who came to serve him. He explained how he was looking for a job and she went in back. Soon a young looking Japanese women walk out of the back kitchen.

She was about 5'3" tall, well endowed, long silky black hair, deep hazel eyes, a smooth flowing figure, and a smile that was enchanting. Nik was suddenly and unexpectedly mesmerized by her. The only thing that snapped him out of his trance was her voice, "Who the hell are you?"

Nik snapped back to reality, "Hogashinu Nikorasu, but people just call me Nik. I'm here about the opening for a small time chef?"

She flew back her hair, "Yeah, you look American. Can you cook Japanese?"

"Ya, I came to Japan a few years ago. I cooked Japanese food when I lived there."

"Ok, you can have an on the job interview tomorrow. Be here by 8:00 am."

"Alright, by the way, what's your name?"

"Gotsu Makata, just call me Maka." With that she walked back into the kitchen.

Nik smiled and walked back out to the FC. He sat in there with the car idling while he thought if he really just saw who he just saw. She was beautiful. He started back home and drove slow. His mind was glued to his picture of her in his mind and he didn't wanna run into anyone.

Mei got home at 6 like always and drove into the garage. He didn't see the Hachiroku so he thought Nik had gone out on his night delivery. He walked in and saw Nik sitting in the easy chair.

"Dude, what are you doing here?"

"Al's doing my job as a chore."

"Oh, ok, Now what about tonight's race?"

"What race?"

Mei smacked his forehead, "You totally forgot about Usui?"

Nik jumped out of his chair, "Holy shit, Usui! I totally forgot!"

"Yeah, so you think you'll do ok?"

"I don't know, I might keep up but I haven't gotten in a lot of practice on Usui lately. The last person on the team to drive it was Al...."

Mei heard Nik get quiet, "What's going on in that tiny head of yours?"

"Let's have Al race it!"

"Dude, have you lost your fucking mind?"

"No, think about it. Usui and Highland have the same type of continuous turns and Al's been doing that for a year or so straight."

"Ahh, well, I see your point. Do you think he could do it?"

"Hey, he's my brother."

That second they saw Al walk in to the house. They both stared over to him and Al froze. What had he done? How did he screw up? He saw his brother walk up to him and put his hand on his shoulder, "Al, would you like to race for our team on Usui?"

Al stared. He was surprised his bro would ask him to do something like that. He sighed and looked over, "Well, I guess..."

Nik smiled, "Sweet, let's go." Nik walked out to the garage with Mei and Al following him. They all got into their own vehicles and headed for Usui pass.

They had stopped for dinner so they came up at 9. There were a few high school kids and a couple of middle and low class drivers. It wasn't really much of a show out put it was a small time race. Nik pulled up to the line with the two other black cars tailing him. Nik got out of the car and walked over to three guys with yellow cars, the one in front being Sano's WRX.

Nik and Mei walked up with Al tailing hesitantly. Nik addressed Sano first, "Hey, are we running a one on one race?"

"Ya, if you wanna race, you can race me. If your #2, my #2 and so on. So who's racing for you?"

"My bro, our #3."

"Ahh, ok, you can race my #3 then." He points to a guy with a yellow S-13 who's standing behind him, "That's him, his name is Kansuke."

Nik looked at him and his car for a moment, "Ok then. Al, go to the line."

Al turned around and walked back to his 86. He started the engine and drove over next to Kansuke. Kansuke looked over, "Good luck." He seemed nice but he was still competition. Al revved the engine as Sano walked over to the line, "Ok, we go in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, GO!"


	8. Al's first race

Al took of after the yellow S-13, keeping comfortable pace. The S-13 had a bigger engine but al kept with him till the first set of continuous turns. They both began there first drift and made sure to over do it just a bit. They then readjusted and went into a reverse drift sending them through the second continuous turn. They continued this pattern until they reached there first straight.

Al straightened out with Kansuke still ahead of him. Al began to realize the difference in power between this car and the ol' 240. The 240 would be able to pass the S-13 easy. He had really underestimated the need for good driving skill. Al's entire driving technique was based on power and he didn't think he had it. He would need to change his entire style of driving in one race if he was to beat Kansuke and Hidden Gold.

Al entered the second set of turns with Kansuke and pulled through it strongly hitting the next straight while flooring the car. He needed to find a way to pull a pass on him. He thought about a dirt drop drift like on Myogi. Nik's car had more power than the S-13 allowing it to pass him much easier. If this guy was there #3, he might be able to do it.

The third set was tight so he wouldn't be able to pull a dirt drop drift until he got farther down the pass. He had to find a comfortable turn that he could pull without the problem of needing to reverse drift or turn on the side near the rail. He looked for the turns for an easy corner.

He soon found an open corner ahead of him. He accelerated and went to enter the corner only to be interrupted by Kansuke pulling ahead of him on the same path. He must have made his movements to obvious. His plan was blocked, it was obvious. He pulled through the corner realizing he had to try something else. Maybe if he took the corners at a higher speed he would be able to beat the S-13.

He tried his idea with no luck. The S-13 driver had better skills then he did. He was going to lose this race that his brother had trusted him with. He wouldn't be surprised if he was thrown on a plane home first thing tomorrow. He decided to just finish the race best he could so he wouldn't look pathetic.

He soon found himself taking the 121st turn on Usui. He sighed and entered the turn right behind Kansuke. He saw the S-13 struggling to keep control in the corner but he was doing it easily. He was barley even paying attention and catching up to Kansuke's S-13. He didn't realize what he had done until after he had passed by Kansuke and he was on the straight again. Without realizing what he was doing he had passed Kansuke and pulled ahead to take the lead on Usui's hardest turn.

He began to pay attention to what he was doing and almost lost the lead win the next turn. Apparently he had gotten good at driving by accident and hadn't realized that he did worse when he actually knew what he was doing. Unfortunately he was concentrating too much on not concentrating to not concentrate. (That's more concentrate than a carton of orange juice comedic drum roll)

Al slid into the second to last set of turns trying to keep him back as much as possible. He kept him back and actually saw him trying to find a way to pass him. He looked ahead at the last turn and pulled a full drift to go though the turn. He slammed on the accelerator on the way out and went straight through the finish line with Kansuke on his tail.

He pulled his e-brake and skidded to a stop. He got out and ran to his older brother and jumped on him. He was so happy he won, even if he had done it by accident. He smiled and shook Kansuke's hand. They all went back to the house and sat around the table talking.

Mei spoke while he handed everyone a bowl of rice, "Al, you did better than I thought you could. How did you beat him?"

Al smiled and came out with a crappy lie, "I just had better driving skill because I have perfected my skills over time."

Nik smiled, "Shut up, I know you where feeling the heat. I saw you at the beginning and you were jumping around too much at the end to have just beat him."

Al smiled and took a bite of race, "Well, your right. I wasn't even paying attention when I passed him. I was just coasting it around C-121..."

Mei looked over to him, "You took C-121 without paying attention? How fast were you going?"

"Well, about 130 kmh I guess."

"Damn! That's pretty fast for C-121." He looked over to Nik, "Maybe we should have him race impact blue."

Nik looked up from his rice, "Don't even joke, one of the only people to beat impact blue was Akina's 86."

Mei sighed, "Ya, I guess. The blue Sil-eighty would blow past any of us quickly."

Nik smiled and finished his rice. After a few more minutes of congratulating Al they all went into their own bedrooms. Al needed sleep if he was too wake up on time for work and Nik had to go to his new job.

Nik woke up at seven as Al walked back in the house. He questioned why he was up this early but then went back to sleep quickly after the explanation. Nik reached into a old drawer and pulled out a knife kit he hadn't use since high school. He walked over to his FC and placed it in the passenger seat. He pulled out of the driveway and headed down Usui pass.

He got to the restaurant and walked into the building. Maka walked out and grabbed his shirt, "Get in the back and cook!"

Nik sighed and walked into the back. She had 9 or 10 orders stacked and rice that was near burning. After he took the rice off the burner he began on the first order. He made the beef quickly and passed it to a waitress. He then started on his second order and third and soon he had the kitchen and restaurant running smoothly again. By the time Maka came in everything was running good. She looked surprised, "Good job kid, what's your name again?"

"Nikorasu, but call me Nik."

"Oh, ok Nik. You did a good job for such a young kid. How old are you anyway?"

"I'm 22."

She slid back slightly, "Oh, I called you a kid." She laughed a little bit and looked up again, "You see, I'm only 20. I'm studying to be a doctor."

Nik smiled and looked at her, "Yeah, so how did a med student come to own a restaurant?"

She sighed and looked down, "Both my parent's died in a car crash about half a year ago. My brother was running the restaurant till he went all out on street racing a while back. Now he says he doesn't have time for it."

"Is that you needed a new short order cook?"

"Yeah, I needed the help. There are tons of waitress's that need a job but my wait staff is full. I needed a cook and you're the first qualified guy I've met. Without you I'd need to close down the restaurant and my parent's have worked to hard to make this place work."

He could see the determination in her eyes. He was about to say something when he heard the waitress, "Order for Miso Soup."

Nik nodded and walked over to the pot with a bowl. By the time he had put the order on the serving line, Maka had gotten into dicing vegetables. He sighed and continued to fry rice.

At 9 o'clock he walked out with Maka as she locked the door. He walked her down the street to her car, a Honda Prelude. He stared at the car because it was a nice car. The body styling was sleek and comfortable. He smiled and looked at her, "Have a nice night Maka." He turned around and walked away towards his car.

Maka ran over to him and handed him a business card, "The restaurant number is forwarded to my cell phone. Call me for your schedule." She turned around and got in her car.

Nik smiled and walked back to his FC. He pulled off of the street and towards his house. He pulled in to see Mei and Al watching Anime. He walked past them into his room and fell asleep quickly. He forgot how hard it was to put in a full days work at a restaurant.


	9. What a Day

Al found it hard to sleep that night. He decided to hit the mountain early. He drove out of the driveway at 3 am and he was on Akina at 4:15 am. He drove along the uphill and got to the hotel at 4:45, a half hour early.

While he was driving back he saw a set of headlights shining in his rearview mirror. He looked back to see a panda Trueno driving behind him. He smiled and sped up. The other 86 pulled up behind him. They both took the first corner with the panda 86 pulling real close. It seemed like some mad skills but the driver looked like he wasn't even trying that hard. He went into the next turn utilizing most of his driving skills and was passed out with amazing ease. Al accelerated into the next turn but by the time he had rounded it the 86 was out of sight. He looked ahead, "Holy shit...."

Al got home at 7 when Nik woke up. Once again they parted ways with barley a word. Nik picked up his cell phone that had been charging and dialed the restaurant number.

Maka ran to her phone. She picked it up slowly, "Gotsu family restaurant."

"Maka, its Nik."

"Oh, hey Nik, What's up?"

"You wanted me to call you about my schedule?"

"Oh yeah, well I have morning classes on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. I need you to be there those days, like today. My class starts at 9 and ends at 10:30. Be there till that ends, ok?"

"Umm, sure, I'll be there at 8."

"Cool, I'll see you at 11. Bye!"

Nik hung up the phone and walked to his FC. He started up his engine and listened to the radio for a couple of minutes before he pulled out. The drive down was relaxing and he got to work at 7:45. He looked over to the waitress who he found out was a 17 year old girl named Miki. She was good height for a Japanese girl, with tan skin, blue eyes and dark hair. She appeared like a women who you would come back too visit, probably why Maka hired her.

"Good morning Miki, how are you?"

"Fine, I need you to go check on the Miso soup; I got preoccupied with the tables."

"No problem Miki, I'll stay in back from here on."

"Ok, good day Nik."

Nik walked in the back and stirred the Miso soup. He looked outside and saw Miki put orders on the serving line. He began his day quickly and worked fast and hard like he would when he was racing.

Mei woke up with Al and they both sat down for eggs. Al was the first person to talk.

"I got blown away by another trueno this morning."

"Well, you're still a beginner. I'd expect it to happen a lot."

"Yeah, it was a trueno like ours but with a panda paint job."

Mei spit out the piece of egg he was chewing on. Did Al really run into the ghost of Mt. Akina? He looked over to him, "Did it have fog lights that gave of an eerie glow?"

"Umm, actually yeah, they were kinda yellowish but eerie."

"Dude, it was him. The panda trueno of Mt. Akina, I can't believe it."

"What? Is the Trueno famous?"

"Yeah, the thing is mad. The driver must have been awesome, was he?"

"Ya, he took three turns and lost me just like that."

Mei stood up and put his plate in the sink. He walked past Al out to his Sil-eighty and pulled out of the driveway. He drove all the way to work with the thought of thought of the panda trueno on his mind.

Al went to work early because he had to gas up. He pulled into a random gas station and pumped it himself. He hated it when other people did things for him. He drove to the tea shop and then to Usui. Al knew he wouldn't run into any problems here because he had already beaten a team from here. He started wondering about the team known as impact blue that Nik and Mei had mentioned the other night. Could that Sil-eighty be as good as they say...

Nik looked over to Maka when she walked in. He smiled and looked back to the fish cooking on the grill. He didn't like to get taken away from his work, even by such a beautiful girl.

Maka smiled at Nik and looked around her kitchen. He had kept it up pretty well. She smiled to her new employee, "You did really good here Nik, thanks for helping out."

Nik looked up from his fish, "Don't worry about it, happy to help."

"No, I really appreciate it. If it wasn't for you, I don't know what I would have done."

Nik smiled. He loved when people needed him, "Seriously, forget it."

"No, I won't, I promise."

"If you say so..." He went back to his fish and flipped it onto a plate with lemon.

Maka smiled. When she first met him she thought he was just a kid but the more time she spent with him the more she felt different about him. Could she be attracted to him? She started to cook more Miso soup while pondering the idea of it...

At 7 o'clock Mei and Al walked into the Gotsu Family Restaurant. They looked at the young Miki as she walked over to them, "Hello, my name is Miki. What would you like?"

Al stared while Mei was spoke, "I'm here looking for my cousin, Hogashinu-san?"

"Oh, you mean Nik. I'll get him for you." She walked away quickly.

Mei looked over to Al, "What are you staring at?"

Al quickly snapped out of his state of fascination, "Oh, nothing..."

Mei smiled and looked over to Nik as he walked out of the kitchen, "How's it going cook?"

Nik smiled and took a seat, "Pretty good, you guys here for dinner?"

Al nodded, "Ya, what's on the menu?"

Nik smiled, "I'll cook you something good, wanna start with some Miso?"

Mei nodded and Nik walked back into the kitchen. Miki soon served them Miso soup as there first course. Soon she brought out a home made platter of beef and chicken items with fried rice. They stuffed there faces until 8:30 when Nik walked out of the kitchen with Maka. Mei's mouth soon dropped and Nik had to close it, "Al, Mei, this is Gotsu Makata. Maka, this is Hogashinu Alex and Motouji Meikeru."

Maka bowed her head slightly, "Hello Alex, Meikeru."

Mei stood up and bowed slightly, "It is fine Gotsu-chan, just call me Mei and Alex-san Al."

"If you say so Mei..."

Nik looked at all of them and saw Miki approach from behind. She brushed her hand through her hair and looked at Maka, "Maka-chan, will you give me a ride tonight?"

Al quickly jumped to life, "I'll give you a ride home Miki-chan if you need it."

Maka looked at Al and then to Miki, "Well, I do have a lot of homework. Would you mind going home with Alex-san?"

Miki sighed, "Sure, I don't mind. Let's go Al."

Al walked her out to his 86 with everyone following them. Mei got into his Sil-eighty and looked to Nik and Al, "Hey, I'm going to check out a project D race on Akagi, I'll be home later."

Nik nodded and watched Mei drive away. He looked over to Al who was being exceptionally polite. Nik surmised that Al had a crush on Miki-chan. He smiled and walked Maka to her car.

Once again they politely said goodbye. Nothing really occurred between the two of them. He sighed and walked back to his FC. He had wished she might be a little more open with herself around him.

Maka sighed and leaned against her Prelude. She looked up at the stars wondering about what she felt for Nik. He was not who she had imagined herself with in the future. She wanted to be with a guy who was intelligent and educated like she herself was trying to be. What was it about this guy that she liked?

Al was trying to drive more easily then he would usually. He was trying to impress the girl he was driving with although she didn't seem to care much. She must have gotten bored quickly because she started to talk to him, "So is this your car?"

"Ahh, yeah, my brother gave it to me when I got here."

"When did you get here?"

"A few days ago..."

"Oh, ok then, so your name is Al?" She sent over a sweet smile

Al saw the smile and returned it, "Ya, but I think that maybe you should tell me where you live."

She laughed a little bit, "Oh yeah, I forgot. I live on the east side."

Al took a corner and headed towards the east end of this section of Gunma. He almost took the corner to fast like he was used to. His back end slid out a little and thought that she might think he was a bad driver. He had to make up for it fast. He went through the second turn the same way but

did it on purpose as a low speed drift. He hoped she would think it was Skill and not a bad move.

Miki looked up when the car slid out. She looked over to him but saw him keeping cool. Was he a street racer? She had known some street racers from school but he didn't seem at all like them. He seemed more confident when he took those turns then he did before. It was kind of attractive to her. She held onto her seat belt and looked over to him, "Are you a street racer?"

He looked over when he got back on the straight, "Yeah, I'm on a racing team called the Blak Nites, it's my brother's team."

"Wow, that's awesome. Street racing is one of the coolest things going on. I know some kids at school who race but you're a lot better at it then them."

Al smiled at the complement, "I've been practicing for a while back in the U.S. and then I won a race against a team Hidden Gold a day or two ago."

"Yeah, they all have cars like S-13's and 180's. The Hachiroku is considered a car that's too old for them."

"That's probably because they don't know the skill involved in racing. I think the Hachiroku is a great car because it needs more skill then power. The racer I beat on that team had an S-13 and I beat him in this almost 20 year old car."

Miki looked at him with adoring eyes, "Hey, do you wanna... take me up to race sometime?"

Al looked over. Was she asking him out or just for a ride? Either way he was gonna do it, "Yeah, sure, maybe I'll take you up to one of my races sometime."

"Oh sweet! That would be great, thanks so much." She smiled and reached over to hug him.

Al got caught off guard but was able to reach his left arm off the wheel as she wrapped her arms around him. He felt her warm touch around him. He smiled and missed her turn.

When she sat back up she looked at the store on the street. She looked behind her and covered her mouth, "Wow, you missed my turn."

"What?" He slammed on the brakes and turned around the car. He headed back and took the correct turn. He sighed and pulled up to where she pointed out her apartment was. He ran around the car and opened her door.

Miki stepped out and looked at him. She smiled and looked at him, "Thank you for the ride Alex-san."

"Don't worry its fine."

"Yeah, I'll see you another day. Good night." She lightly kissed him on his cheek before she ran into his house. She walked into her house and stood against the door. She smiled and ran up to her bedroom.

Al stood outside dazed for a few minutes before he got back in the 86. He started it up and headed home without another word. He smiled and thought about the girl he had just met. "Miki." He would remember that name.

Mei pulled up to the third downhill turn on Akagi. He looked at the clock in his car as he got out. It was 9:30. He got out and stood among the crowd waiting for the race. Soon he heard car engines roaring through the mountain. He looked ahead at the second downhill turn as he saw a Yellow FD and a white Supra. They were running extremely good and the FD was tailing. They both entered the third turn strong utilizing a full 4-wheel drift. It was much more than he himself or Nik could think of doing at their level right now. It only made him want to practice harder.

Nik got home later that night and walked into his room. He put down his keys and his wallet and then walked back out to the living room. His eyes gazed over to his computer and he went and sat down. He went onto a website that had info on local street racers. He looked around at all the teams and found saw something he wasn't expecting. The site had his team on it. It was submitted by a guy names "HGWRX". He read the page about there team:

**The Blak Nites**

The Blak Nites are a street racing team who run on Myogi. They are all American racers who have won two races. They have three racers with different cars; a Mazda RX-7 FC3S, A Nissan Sil-eighty, and a Toyota Trueno AE86, all of which are black. There first race was against Blue Blaze from Akagi. They ran Blue Blazes "Mountain Relay Race" and came out victorious against Blue Blazes FD and R34. There second race was against Hidden Gold's #3 driver, Kansuke. There Hachiroku came out victorious against his S-13. They have gone undefeated to date.

Nik smiled and got up. He walked back into his room and went to sleep quickly. He woke up later that night because he couldn't sleep. He had a ton of things on his mind. He walked out to his car and pulled out of the garage and headed around Myogi. The one thing he always could do to clear his mind is take a corner going 130 kmh.


	10. The Dinner Date

Nik got home around 3 am and went back to sleep. The drive had helped to clear his head. He could sleep with a clear mind now and wasn't bothered by thoughts of her...

Al woke up early the next morning with a smile on his face. It was his day off and he had originally planned to spend it sleeping but instead he was gonna go out for some meals at his now favorite restaurant. He sat in the kitchen and waited for his brother to wake up.

Mei ran into Al before Nik had even woke up. He looked over to Al as he sat down, "Why are you so happy?"

"I'm going out to breakfast at Nik's restaurant."

"You wanna see that girl again, don't you?"

"Is it that obvious?"

"It's about as obvious as we are standing in a crowd of Japanese guys."

"Speaking of crowds how was that race the other night?"

"It was pretty good. It was Takahasi Keisuke's FD against a Supra. The cars were going nuts. I saw them take a hairpin and I heard that Keisuke-san pulled ahead on one of the last corners to come out the winner. Takahashi Ryosuke's Project D is really a good team."

"Yeah, I guess. They probably would have won anyway if there as good as they say. Who races on that team?"

"The yellow FD, an orange S-14, and the panda 86 if I'm not mistaken."

"Hey, we should go up when the 86 has a race. It'll probably take any driver out as easy as it took me."

"Yeah, we should. We need to know about the local competition if were going to beat it."

"Yeah, have you thought of any other teams we could race lately?"

Nik barged in on the conversation, "How about the Speedstars?"

Al looked over to his brother, "who?"

Mei looked over to his young cousin, "The Akina Speedstars, there a medium level team on Akina."

Nik smiled as he poured coffee, "I'm just saying that we've raced teams on 2 other mountains than Myogi, Akina seems like the next best bet."

Mei stared at his cousin, "I guess, but how are we supposed to get in touch with them?"

Nik pointed to his brother, "He is gonna go do it for us since he's got the day off."

Al jumped up, "Hey! Can't Mei do it? I had plans today."

Nik smiled, "If you're talking about Miki, forget it. It's her day off."

Al sighed, "Fine, I'll go."

Nik smiled, "Good, so go. It's a long drive to Akina."

Al stood up and walked out to his Hachiroku. He sat in it for a minute, "No matter where I go I'm running errands for someone." He started his engine and drove out of the garage towards Akina.

Nik smiled over to Mei, "You know, maybe I should invite Miki and Maka over for dinner tonight."

"How will you get in touch with Miki?"

"She'll be at work today; I just didn't want Al bothering her."

Mei smiled, "Well played man, well played."

They both smiled and sat around until Nik went to work. Mei realized that he would have to stock there fridge if they were going to have company coming over. He walked out to his Sil-eighty and drove off towards the grocery store.

Nik got to work and walked in next to Miki. He looked at her and she snapped over to him, "What are you doing here so early!?"

"Early, what do you mean early?"

"I mean the place doesn't open until 11 on weekends. Didn't Maka tell you that?"

Nik sighed and looked down, "Maka and I don't talk much..."

"Ya, she really keeps to herself, especially after her parents died." Miki looked at Nik's expression, "You like her, don't you?" She was ready to counter him when he started yelling no.

Nik looked up from his feet, "Is it that obvious?"

Miki looked surprised, "Ya, sorry to say. Of course we know Maka didn't notice it."

"Why wouldn't she?"

"She really doesn't pay attention to what's between the lines."

"What about you?"

"Me? What about me?"

"Who do you like right now?"

Miki giggled under her breath before looking at him, "Well your brother is kinda cute."

Nik smiled, "He thinks the same of you. What do you like about him?"

"Well, he's sweet and he's a real good driver. He's just a nice guy."

"Ya, I guess. He can be a pain sometimes but he's a good guy."

"Ya, so, are you going to enroll him in our school?"

"Ah, I guess I should. I'll need to talk to Hoijin-san, Al's boss, but then I guess it would be ok."

"Cool, I can't wait to show him around."

Nik smiled and went in the back. He started up the ovens and soon Maka showed up. She was quiet as usual but kept to her work to make it seem like she was just busy. Miki started to bring orders in and out and soon business was booming.

Al drove into the GS gas station per Nik's request around noon. He pulled over to a pump and saw a guy about Nik's age walk up to him. He smiled and looked at Mei, "Welcome, would you like high octane?"

Al smiled, "No thank you, I was looking for a member of a team called the Speedstars?"

The man slouched a little bit when he heard that, "The trueno is not a member of the Speedstars anymore. He's with project D. Talk to them if you want to race him."

Al looked up, "I'm not here to challenge the 86. I wanted to challenge the leader of the Speedstars in place of my team leader, Hogashinu Nikorasu."

The attendant smiled, "Ok then, that's me. My name is Iketani."

Al smiled, "My name's Al. Would you be willing to accept our challenge?"

Iketani smiled, "Well that depends, I like to see my competition drive before I race. Would that be ok with you?"

Al looked back, "Can you come to Mt. Myogi tonight?"

Iketani smiled, "My team will be there, we have a 180, an 85, and my S-13. I'll see you then. Good day."

Al smiled and drove out of the gas station. He wondered how the previous team of the famous 86 of Akina would handle itself against the Myogi Blak Nites...

Mei got home when Al pulled back in. Al helped Mei bring in the groceries and put them away. Both of them then sat down on the couch and Mei looked over to Al, "Wanna watch TV?"

Al nodded and picked up the remote. They turned on a channel that was doing a documentary on the drift king. They watched the show and enjoyed when they would put on a clip of him during a race.

Nik walked in at 8:30 with Miki and Maka behind him. Mei and Al shot up and bowed politely. Nik showed Al some chicken scratch sign language and Al showed them into the living room. Mei walked into the kitchen with Nik and the both of them started on dinner.

Maka looked at everything around his living room. There were pictures of his family back home and two shelves of DVD's. They also had pictures of them racing in their cars, both back home and here on Myogi. She wondered what was going on in Nik's head when he looked at her.

Miki and Al kept very quiet through the waiting period. They both were afraid to talk to each other. Al still had the memory of how she felt when she wrapped her arms around him the other day. The only thing that broke the silence in the living room was Mei's voice, "Dinner's ready."

Everyone walked into the kitchen and sat down. They had small casual conversations but only one everyone had paid attention to, which was when Al talked about the guy in Akina.

Al spoke up about halfway through the meal, "Oh, Nik, I met the leader of the Speedstars today. He said he wants to see us race here on Myogi before he challenges us.

Nik looked up from his plate, "Really? That's fine then, is he coming up tonight?

This was the first time Maka had heard that Nik was a street racer, "You guy's street race?"

Mei looked over, "Yeah, a little bit. It's half the reason Nik and I came to Japan."

Miki looked up with a smile, "Al, could I come up with you tonight and see you race?"

Before Nik or Mei had a chance to intervene Al spoke, "Yeah, you can come up with us tonight. Both you and Maka can come."

Nik looked up from his plate when he heard Maka get invited. He didn't want her to go because she would be a distraction from showing his moves off. He looks over to Maka, "If they come they have to drive up in Maka's Prelude, they can't be in our cars because well be racing."

Al agreed quickly and everyone including Maka nodded. They stood at the end of the meal and walked outside. Everyone got into their cars and Miki got in with Al for the ride up. They went slow allowing Maka to keep up but she was doing fine. They had to remember that her car had a 2.0 liter engine. They went a little bit faster with her keeping up naturally.

When they reached the top, the other team where their waiting for them. Nik got out first with the other Blak Nites following him and finally Maka and Miki in the very back. Nik shook hands with Iketani.

Iketani nodded, "So how do you guys wanna do this?"

Nik nodded at let Mei, the Blak Nite's brain, do the talking, "We can run an all team run down the mountain just for practice. Also, those two in the back will be following but there not part of our team."

Iketani nodded, "By the way, this is Itsuki and Kenji, there my teammates."

Nik nodded and walked back to his car, the same with Al, Mei, and Maka. Nik fired his up and let the Speedstars go ahead. They then all went racing down Myogi...


	11. Something Old, Someone New

The teams lined up on the downhill run; Iketani, Nik, Kenji, Mei, Itsuki, Al, and Miki and Maka at the tail. Nik soon pulled along side on the first turn. Iketani was able to keep him behind at the start of the race but was struggling. Nik pulled behind him after and tried to pass him on the straight still having little luck. Iketani wasn't fast put was good at keeping people behind him.

Mei was at Kenji's 180's back end. He pulled through the corners with him but Kenji drove like Iketani, keeping people behind him. Kenji had trouble drifting because he hit the accelerator before his back end slid properly. Kenji wasn't drifting, he was power sliding. Unfortunately for Mei, Kenji didn't downshift when he took the corners meaning he didn't lose as much speed. When Mei drifted he lost speed before he could speed up again. Luckily his car had more power but Kenji kept Mei on his toes.

Al was in the third position behind Itsuki. Itsuki's car was a little slower than Al's 86 and it was only natural. The cars downshifted and went into the corner. They slid there cars slightly and pulled through the corner neck and neck. He smiled and kept behind Itsuki through the corner and the next straight.

Maka's car stayed behind Al's closely. She powered through the corners with her back end sliding a little. It was new to her but she pulled through with very little problems. As long as she kept her speed down she would be fine. Miki watched ahead and smiled as her crush pulled through the corners behind the Levin.

Nik decided not to let his full abilities shine through here. He was gonna hold back a little bit and only drive normally. Iketani was a good driver but lacked experience. Nik had a lot of experience even though it was on a totally different type of terrain. He had that single advantage over Iketani. During the actual race Iketani would have the advantage of terrain as well as course experience.

The race finished the same way it started. Everyone was in the same kinda line when they ended as they started. Everyone got out of their cars and Mei spoke first.

Mei looked around to everyone, "That was a pretty good run. Did you learn what you needed to know Iketani?"

Iketani nodded, "You guys aren't half bad. I'll race you if you still want to."

Nik nodded, "You know it. So when do you want to race?"

Iketani looked up, "Why don't we do a morning race instead of a night one. This way I'll still be awake when I go to work."

Nik smiled, "How about Monday?"

Iketani shot back a happy smile, "Monday works, I'll see you…let's say… 3 am?"

Nik smiled, "See you then Iketani-san."

Iketani and the rest of their team walked to their cars. Nik smiled and watched them drive away. He looked over to Al who was now talking to Miki.

Miki smiled to him, "You raced so well tonight, you were awesome!" She took her left arm and wrapped it around his right.

Al smiled and placed his hand on hers, "It wasn't that big a deal. I just ran Myogi like I always did."

"Yeah, do you think I was good luck?"

Al smiled and told her what she wanted to hear, "Of course I do, I just wish I had needed it tonight."

Miki smiled and clanged to Al. Al smiled because he had found a girl who he felt strongly for. Al and Miki got into Al's car and Al drove Miki home while Nik, Mei, and Maka talked.

Mei looked at Maka, "You did a good job of keeping up. You handled corners easily."

Maka sighed, "It was a little scary because the back end slid out. It was weird steering the wrong way coming into a corner." (Counter steer)

Nik looked over, "You get used to it quickly, but I remember when I first high speed drifted. I freaked out and smacked the back end of my dad's car into a stop sign."

Mei smiled, "Ya, that was that old 88' Honda Accord, wasn't it? I remember that car."

Maka looked up, "What's so good about an 88' Honda Accord?"

Nik looked up, "It was my first car, I only drove it for a few months until I crashed it and Mei's mom gave him the Monte Carlo, but it was a great couple of months."

"What did you guys do in it?"

Mei looked at her car and then back to Maka, "Everything! We would drive to burger king after school, go to the movies with any girls who would go with us, just go cruising while blasting Metallica out of the 20 inch speakers we wired in the trunk. I miss that car."

"What happened to it?"

Nik sighed, "I put to much confidence in my technique. I entered a corner going almost 110 mph. I drifted it but I had drifted so much my tires had gotten worn out. My front grip didn't hold long and my rear slid out easily. I spun out and smacked into a tree, crushing the section between the drivers door and drivers side rear door. It basically ruined the body. If I would have paid for the damages, it would have cost double what I paid for my new car."

Maka looked up in shock, "Did you guys get hurt?!"

Mei smiled, "I walked away with nothing but a nose bleed cause I smacked my head on the dash board during the drift. I realized that me being in the car didn't help much, ruined the weight. Nik had a dislocated shoulder that I popped back into place. We got lucky."

Maka sighed, "Ya…"

Nik looked at her, "After that I paid a lot more attention to what was going on around my car and not just in it. I kept a lot more attention on the treads on the tires so I wouldn't slide out."

Maka sighed and looked at her watch. It was almost midnight. She jumped up and sat in the driver's seat of her car. She started it up and shifted into gear. She rushed out of the rest stop and towards her apartment.

Mei looked at Nik, "Where's she going?"

Nik looked at his own watch, "She has a class in nine hours. She must need some sleep." Nik walked over to his FC and revved up the engine. He saw Mei do the same. They pulled out of the lot and started home.

The next morning they all woke up around the same time. They sat around quietly eating breakfast while Nik daydreamed about Maka, Al daydreamed about Miki, and Mei daydreamed about the fact he didn't have a Miki or a Maka. Mei sighed as he stuffed his face with eggs. Nik walked out at his usual time and before he stepped out the door, he looked at Mei, "Hey, would you mind taking Al to the high school and enrolling him?

Mei nodded while Al spoke up, "Why do I have to go to school? I thought this was my vacation?"

Nik smiled, "Miki requested it."

Al smiled and nodded, "Well you should have told me that, now I'll definitely go."

Nik smiled and walked out to his FC. He revved the Wankle rotary engine twice before he pulled out and headed for the restaurant.

Mei was sitting in the living room until noon when he stood up and looked to Al, "Come on, were taking the Sil."

Al nodded and followed Mei out to the Sil-eighty. They both got in and drove down to the Myogi district high school. Even on Sunday the principal was there as well as a few teachers. They both walked into the main office and walked into the office of Principal Fukazawa.

Fukazawa-san looked at both of them with a watchful eye. He looked over the information that Nik had gotten his mom to E-mail him. He shut the folder and looked up, "Acceptable work Alex-san. You must understand the Japanese school system works a lot differently then the American system, hai?

Al had decided before he even walked in to answer with short, precise answers, "Hai Fukazawa-san."

"Good Alex-san. I see no reason for you not to be accepted to our school. There is one question I must ask though. How do you feel about street racing?"

Al was surprised but he managed not to show it. He decided to go with a safe answer, "It seems like a dangerous sport." It wasn't a lie, but it was withholding what he didn't want to say.

"Good. I will see you at 8 o'clock tomorrow Alex-san. Thank you for bringing him to me Meikeru-san. Both of you have a nice day."

Mei and Al smiled and walked out of his office. Mei didn't like being in a principal's office, even if he wasn't the one being questioned. Mei told Al that he would have to drive very carefully and maybe even badly to prove he wasn't a racer or even a wannabe racer.

Al sighed but agreed. He didn't wanna seem like a wuss in front of all of those wannabes but he couldn't get kicked out of school. He just stayed quiet and listened to the radio on the ride home.

Maka let Nik out early that night. She wanted him to get a good amount of sleep before his race the following day. He smiled and thanked her. Before he walked out he started out what seemed like an insignificant conversation.

Nik looked at her, "So how have you been?"

Maka looked surprised, "Fine, and you?"

"The same…"

"Is something wrong Nik?"

"Umm, no, I just had a question I wished to ask you."

Maka blushed slightly, "Hai?"

"Well, I was wondering… you see I thought maybe…"

"How about Friday night? Come to my house at 7."

Nik stood there speechless. He soon found one word that he could speak, "Sure." With that he silently walked out of the restaurant and drove home.

Maka smiled and went back to work. It took a lot of her to say what she had said, she wasn't a very up front person. She looked at the rice she was cooking and giggled.

Nik got home and looked over at Mei and Al sitting on the couch. Nik still had the gaze on his face. They looked at him as if something bad happened. Before they could speak Nik had gone into his room. He sat on his bed for five minutes before he screamed, "Yes!!"

Mei and Al looked at each other and laughed. They realized Nik must have done something good. They both went into their rooms and everyone was asleep by 7. Even if Nik was happy, they still had a

race…


	12. Too much of a good thing

Nik woke up at 1:30 and got dressed. They left almost immediately and headed towards Akina. They reached the top and stopped. The Speedstars were already waiting. They got out of their cars and walked over to each other.

Iketani spoke first, "I'm having Kenji race tonight. That ok?"

Mei walked up to Kenji, "Me and you then, Ok?"

Kenji smiled, "Ok then, your Sil-eighty vs. my 180. Let's do it."

Mei smiled and walked back to his car. He started it up and revved it twice before pulling to the line. Kenji pulled up next to him and they both sat on the line. Mei saw Nik get into his car once Al headed down the mountain with Itsuki. Iketani walked to the middle of the two cars and began to count down. He got to one and they both accelerated off the line by the time the final second had finished. Nik accelerated and went after them staying in the rear. Mei looked behind him but didn't care, he knew Nik was just tailing.

Kenji and Mei went into the first corner with Kenji keeping ahead. Kenji used the same technique he had used on Myogi here but with more usefulness. This mountain was taking a little advantage of his technique. Kenji might have the ability to beat him on this terrain.

Nik followed them into the corner from a distance holding back slightly. He didn't want to catch up to easily and also he wanted Mei to know it was his race and not Nik's. Nik just wanted to watch his #2 race.

Kenji and Mei ran into the second corner at a high speed. Kenji used his same technique and saved his tires as Mei went through a drift sequence. Kenji had the advantage. Mei had to get inside of Kenji's head if he was planning on winning.

Mei thought about copy Kenji's technique but decided not to. He thought it would be like cheating. He entered the third turn at a low speed and pulled through without a problem at Kenji's backend. He hoped that Kenji would realize his own mistake and try to fully drift. He knew how much of a chance he would have to take to make that a reality.

The next turn he took was one he thought he didn't have to drift through. He was partially right as he powered through the corner with very little slip on his rear end. He saw Kenji do his regular maneuver which Mei was now calling Kenji's "no-slip drift".

Kenji and Mei battled it out in the fourth with Mei trying to pass on the outside. Kenji stayed with him for the most part but then comfortably slid through the corner leaving Mei an opening. Mei went for it and couldn't fully pass because the next turn came up too fast.

Mei thought about his technique, trying to calculate a maneuver that would allow him to pass. Kenji wasn't the best driver but he did very well at keeping Mei back, even in a car with less power. Mei sighed as he tried another pass with the same results.

In the next corner, Mei didn't notice the sand on the outside. He slid through and his back tires spun, kicking up sand into the guard rail. He was lucky the sand patch was small or he would have had a much more difficult time pulling out. Unfortunately Kenji did notice the sand and avoided it, gaining distance on Mei.

Mei sighed and accelerated. He was able to catch up but then he had to downshift again to pull through. He noticed Kenji was starting to use his E-brake in the corners. He was realizing he wasn't drifting. Mei's prayer had been answered.

Kenji's technique wasn't above any other drivers but his front was gripping very strongly. In the turns he was gripping hard and his backend was sliding a lot but he was pulling out without scraping. On the straights, his shifting was slightly off sync. He was forgetting to shift almost immediately after turning. He was becoming a better drifter but a slightly worse driver.

In the third to last turn Mei went in full force, slamming hard on the brakes to shift the weight forward. He then slid into the turn while Kenji worked his E-brake technique. Kenji was blocking Mei's exit path and he studied Kenji's technique. He noticed at the exit of the turn Kenji pulled back end to the inside lane of the corner we just exited. This was the one point were Kenji made himself vulnerable.

Mei went into the 2nd to last turn on the outside. Kenji wasn't paying much attention to him during the drift. Mei had to wait until Kenji pulled back to the inside. When he did Mei pulled forward along the side of Kenji.

Kenji placed his foot onto the accelerator when Mei was along side of him. Mei began a slow acceleration to pass him. Mei was so excited on being able to pull a pass on him that he didn't notice how close the next turn was. Kenji braked and downshifted as Mei attempted to. He was over to far to the outside. He tried to pull to the inside but Kenji took it to soon. Mei braked harder to avoid Kenji's swaying back end. Mei turned into the corner and accelerated. His tires screeched and his back end slid a lot. His rear hit the guard rail hard before a reverse drift occurred. He attempted to counter without accelerating, a move that had no point to it. His car pulled a 180 and hit the rail again. He yanked up on his own E-brake, turning the car slightly again and came to a stop. At the stop his head thrusted into his closed windshield. He winced in pain and sat in his car.

Mei sat there looking at his windshield. He felt his head and it hurt. He looked ahead at the rail in front of him. He sighed and heard tires screeching on both sides of him. Nik, Al, Kenji, Iketani, and Itsuki got out of their separate cars

Nik looked at Mei, "How are you?"

Mei looked at his cousin, "Ow."

Nik smiled, "Come on." He helped Mei out of his car and put him in the FC. He drove him down to the local hospital. They checked him out and said that he had a slight concussion and shouldn't drive for a while. Mei sighed but agreed. He and Nik drove home and then Iketani helped bring Mei's car back to the house. Nik drove Iketani back to his S-13 and they said there good byes. Nik also congratulated the whole Speedstars team on their win.

Nik got back and Mei had fallen asleep on the couch. He woke him up and gave him coffee as they talked.

Nik spoke after he sat down, "The car has a bit of body damage and we'll have to take it to the dealer for the repairs. Now you can thank me for talking you into the insurance." He smiled in udder fondness of himself.

Mei nodded, "Can't I go to sleep?"

"No, you need to stay up till tomorrow morning at…" He looked at his watch, "6:45 am."

Mei sighed, "Fine…"

"I called into the gas station and the restaurant; we both have the day off. I've got to stay home and baby-sit."

"Shut up…"

I smiled and sipped my coffee, "So what did we learn?"

"Don't take the corner on the outside?"

"That's a start. Also you have to realize that your technique is not as good as you think. There is a lot more to drifting then just sliding through the corner. Now I think you might be ok, so go to sleep."

Mei smiled, "Your just saying that 'cause your tired. I can see it in your eyes."

Nik sighed and walked Mei to his room. He saw Al walk in and he nodded before going to sleep. He needed sleep. He had one of the busiest mornings of his life. Sleep was needed.

At Noon Nik heard someone knocking on his doors. He walked into Mei's room and shook him awake. Mei was alive. He ran to the door and opened it to see none other than Maka.

Maka looked at him, "So how's Meikeru-san?"

Nik smiled, "I believe he asked you just to call him Mei like the rest of us."

She pouted sarcastically, "Well fine then, how's _Mei_."

"He's fine, he's resting."

Mei looked over at them from the kitchen, "Not anymore."

Maka smiled and walked past Nik, "Here you go." She reached in her bag and pulled out a small plastic container full of soup that she handed to him, "its chicken ramen with diced vegetables and real chicken, kinda like chicken soup."

Mei smiled and laughed a little bit, "I banged my head. I don't have a cold."

Maka sighed, "It was just a kind gesture, geez…"

Mei smiled and took the soup, "I appreciate it." He reached into a drawer and pulled out a set of chopsticks. He began to eat and sat down in front of the TV.

Nik walked up to Maka, "Sorry I couldn't come in today, were we busy?"

Maka looked at him, "No, we're closed on Mondays. I just go in to prep the Miso soup and accept some orders from my suppliers."

"Oh, ok, that sounds cool. So you just came up to give him the soup?"

"Umm, No, I came to see you."

"So what did you want?"

Maka become very nervous, "Well… I was wondering if you would mind if we changed our date to today…."

Nik smiled. He had been jumping up and down inside since she asked. He looked into her eyes, "Sure."

She smiled sweetly, "Lets go!"


	13. New Experiences

Nik and Maka walked out to Maka's Prelude. She smiled and got into her driver's seat. He got in the passenger seat and sighed. He felt uncomfortable and apparently Maka noticed. She looked over to him, "Do you want to drive?"

"Thank you."

She smiled and they switched seats. Nik started up the engine and revved it up. Maka appeared a little scared. She must have been expecting him to drive like he did the other night. He pushed the car into 1st and drove down the mountain only topping out at low rpm's in 3rd.

They drove around a corner and looked around. They had planned to go out but had not planned were to go. Nik soon just pulled into a small restaurant on a street corner. They walked in and sat at a counter in the corner of the restaurant and ordered two small meals. After that there was an awkward silence that followed. Maka was brave enough to break the silence.

Maka looked up, "So why did you come to Japan?"

Nik was a little scared over all, "Touge."

"So the only reason you came was for street racing? That's kinda stupid…" She quickly covered her mouth before turning away and blushing.

Nik sighed; it did seem like a kinda stupid reason to move to a different country, "I also came because I loved Japanese history longer than Japanese racing. It's always been a passion of mine."

"Oh, ok." She turned around slowly, her face still red.

"Yeah…"

Another silence followed until there food arrived. Even than all they did was eat quietly. They left after that and just drove around some more. Nik didn't know what to do. He looked at the car's clock. It clearly read 2:00. It was still early in the day and he had nothing planned. He accidentally began drifting off to thinking of racing. He was thinking about his recent run on Akina. He thought about the run, then the mountain, then the name, then the lake….

"THAT"S IT!"

Maka looked over to him, "What?"

Nik pushed in the accelerator and went onto the highway. He looked ahead and Maka looked confused. She didn't know exactly what they were doing. She read the road signs and realized that they we're headed to the other side of Gunma, even as far as Akina. Then she realized they were going to Akina. She wanted to ask him why they were going to Akina but she decided to just stay quiet.

They pulled off the highway near the entrance to the mountain and headed up. The ride up was smooth. Maka felt comfortable instead of jumpy like when they started out down Myogi. She did feel comfortable around Nik…

Nik went up and over the mountain towards Lake Akina and then parked in the lot by the docks. He got out and urged Maka to come with him. She followed him hesitantly but bravely. They headed up a small steep hill and came to a stop at the top where Nik had sat down.

Maka sighed and spoke up loudly, "Why the hell are we up on this stupid hill?"

Nik smiled and pointed towards the lake, "Look."

Maka sighed and turned. Her face changed from upset to shocked. There before her lay the Lake, which appeared to be being touched by god. The sun shone onto the water and sent a glimmer across the entire lake. Small waves lightly crashed against the shoreline and the water was so clear you could see to the bottom even in the deepest parts of the lake.

Maka spoke one single word, "Beautiful…" before sitting next to Nik and resting her head on his shoulder. Nik smiled. He had managed to be romantic, or at least he hoped so. Maka was quiet but seemed to be enjoying herself. There they sat for at least an hour, just watching.

After a while Nik looked at his watch. It was almost four. He placed his hand on Maka's shoulder and she looked up at him, "Maka, we should get going."

Maka smiled sweetly and stood up. She followed Nik to the Prelude and got into her own passenger seat. They then drove to Nik's house, this being the first time they had ridden in the car without silence. They both suddenly became unafraid of speaking.

When Nik got home, he got out of the car and Maka walked over to her side of her car. She spoke to Nik when they met in front of the car, "Thank you for taking me out today."

Nik smiled, "It wasn't a problem."

Maka quivered, "Maybe we could go out again sometime…"

"That would be great."

Maka smiled, "Ok, I'll see you at work then." She walked over to her car and got into her drivers seat and backed out of Nik's driveway. She made her way home and just smiled. It wasn't the sweet smile Nik had seen. It was a happy smile…

Nik walked into his house and looked over at Mei and Al who were just sitting. Al got up and invited him over but Nik just smiled and said, "No." He walked into the kitchen and got a soda before walking into his room. After he went in there he just lied down on his bed and stared at his ceiling. He just kept looking for hours. Mei decided to check on Nik before he returned to the living room. He still had 8 hours before he could sleep.

Mei sat down casually, "So you had a good date?"

Nik looked over with a smile on his face, "Yup."

Mei sighed, "Girls…"

Nik smirked, "You're just pissed because you don't have one."

"I'll tell you what, you get me a girlfriend and I'll shut up about it."

"I'll see what I can do…"

Mei smiled, "Sure…"

Nik smiled, "Good night Meikeru-san." He then laid his head onto his pillow and closed his eyes, the smile never leaving his face.

Mei stood up, "Good night Nikorasu-kun." He walked out of Nik's room and back to the living room where Al was still sitting and watching TV. Mei plopped down next to him and looked at the TV.

After the show they were watching ended, Al looked over at Mei, "So I've got a win, you've got a loss, you and Nik have a relay race won. That puts our team at 2 and 1. I think that's pretty good."

Mei sighed, "Thanks for reminding me…"

Al smiled, "Sorry dude, I just mean that we have a pretty good record, especially for a team of basically new racers."

Mei looked over, "New? We've been racing here for years. You're the newbie."

Al sighed, "However you put it, we just started racing other teams and in that sense, we've got a good record."

Mei sighed and flipped through the channels, "Yeah, yeah…"

Al smiled, "Hey, when do you think we can race the bigger teams? I've heard some things about some teams; one was called, umm, the Red Suns. I heard of another one called… the Night Kid's who race here on Myogi. There was also a Usui team, two chicks who I heard where pretty hot."

Mei leaned back and sighed, "You know nothing about racing that goes on here. In Akagi, there fastest team is the Red Suns, which is run by Akagi's White Comet, Takahashi Ryosuke. He drives an FC. Here on Myogi, we have the Myogi Night Kid's. They're run by Nakazato Takeshi who drives a R32. They also have the area's FF specialist, Shouji Shingo. On Usui, there is a team called Impact Blue, a two women driving team who race with a Sil-eighty like mine. If memory serves me right, there names are Makasato and Simone."

"So then everybody races pretty much then?"

He smiled, "Not everyone."

"You think we'll ever race anyone that good?"

"I think Nik might."

"Nik?"

"He really has that much talent."

"Back in the U.S., I remember you two were the best in the area."

"Back in the U.S., we were the only drift racers in the area."

"Yeah, but I still thought you guys were awesome."

"Comparably, we are. We're not high rank, but we don't suck if that's what you mean."

"Yeah, I guess."

"So, you wanna get some sleep?"

"Can't, I'm babysitting." A smirk fell onto his face.

"Mei sighed, "Shut up."

The two stayed awake until Al left for his morning delivery and Nik woke up. Nik went on his babysitting duty while Al was away. Mei sighed and fell asleep before Al got back. Nik smiled and greeted his brother when he first got here. They walked into the kitchen and Al got Nik and himself coffee.

Nik sipped his coffee slowly, "Today's your first day of school."

Al looked up, "Yeah, you talked to Hoijin-san?"

"Yeah, class starts in a half hour. You can pick up your uniform tomorrow."

"No probs bro."

"Good, go to class." He put his coffee in the sink and walked back over to him.

"Nik, could you give me a ride?"

Nik looked surprised, "Why don't you just drive yourself?"

"I told the principal that I wasn't into street racing and it would seem better if I didn't have a car yet."

Nik sighed, "I'll give you a ride…"

Nik walked out to his FC and Al got into the passenger seat. Nik looked at Al, "Hold on."

Al nodded and Nik started out. He wanted to show Al some things he'd been working on. He pulled out of the driveway and headed down the mountain. He accelerated towards the first corner nearing 100 mph. He heel/toe downshifted and felt the rear end slide out. He kept the brake down longer than usual so the back end slid more and his angle was very wide. He was showing off for his little brother. He accelerated and pulled off a swaying drift before he slid into the second corner.

He pulled through and slowed down back to a normal speed. Al looked impressed. He pulled off low speed drifts through the other corners. He continued down the mountain and then headed towards the high school.

They pulled into the high school parking lot and were met by the eyes of many wannabes. Everybody liked the FC. He let Al out and he was immediately greeted by Miki. Nik smiled and drove off.

Al followed Miki inside. He saw a bunch of guys looking at him because he was with her. He knew she was hot but everyone was looking at him angrily or her admiringly. She must be popular or something. Miki led him around that entire day. He was afraid the second he wasn't right next to her someone was gonna kick the crap out of him.


	14. Just Two Girls

Nik pulled into the restaurant at his usual weekday time. He was greeted by the morning waitress. He didn't spend much time out front. He walked into the kitchen and started working. He took out the eggs and started to dice vegetables for the soup. He took care of customers when they came but all in all, it was a quiet day.

Maka came in at noon. She still worked very quietly although occasionally she would say something meaningless like "How are you". She asked me that question at least eight times before Miki came in. She told me Al got picked up by a guy wearing a neck brace in a black Toyota. She probably meant Mei in the 86. Nik was wondering how much longer Mei would have to wait until his car was ready for the road again. The brace is coming off at the end of the week. Will his car be ready?

Mei drove towards the Myogi Nissan dealership with Al. Mei felt happy to be behind a wheel again. He was also happy because he wasn't doing 120 km/h down a mountain pass. He wondered what driving down the mountain would be like now…

He pulled into the dealership and parked the car by the garages. He walked around to where the garage was. There he saw the horror. His sil-eighty was completely mauled. The rear end was dented, he had cracked the transmission block, and the car looked it had gone through a paint job from hell. He walked over to the mechanic, "Can you save it doc?"

The mechanic smiled, "Sorry to say, but the new transmission will cost you 300,000 yen alone and then the paint will probably be 50,000, then the rear end will be 30,000. If you've got a discount, you'll top out at about 350,000. Do you have something like the JAA?"

Mei was in shock when he heard the discount price. He sighed, "No, I never signed up for that and my insurance doesn't cover me if I caused the accident, which I did."

The mechanic was surprised, "Wow! Well, in that case, to be honest you'll owe about 600,000."

Mei and Al looked horrified. This was bad. Very bad… "I can't afford that!"

The Mechanic sighed, "I know car's you can buy for that much, hell! We've got a used Skyline for 500,000."

Al looked up from his feet, "What model?"

The guy looked over at the white Skyline, "Looks like a R32 to me."

Mei looked over. It was the 32 model. It was nice too. Paint was scraped and it was a little dented, but besides that it looked in good running order. He looked over at the mechanic, "Does it still have the stock turbo?"

The mechanic shook his head, "No, the previous owner took it out and put it in his new car."

Mei nodded. The car was so powerful that he barley would need the turbo. If he did want it for the uphill, he could always take the one of the Sil-eighty. He smiled, "I'll be back, hold onto that 32 for me."

Al followed Mei back to the Trueno. Mei got into the Driver's seat again and Al sat next to him. Al stared over at his cousin, "You're gonna buy that Skyline?"

Mei looked over at Al, "I don't have enough cash. The trade in for the Sil-might equal out to 200,000 yen if I sell it piece by piece. Nik and I have a racing fund in the bank that is around 250,000 yen. The rest is bits and pieces."

Al sighed, "You do realize that this is probably gonna clean you guy's out, right?"

Mei started up the car, "I'm the team's uphill driver. An all-wheel drive car like the 32 will make it easier to win those types of races. Agreed?"

Al sighed, "It's a lot of money…"

"It's worth it." Mei drove off the lot and back towards the house. He would have to

discuss this with Nik before he could do anything about it. He knew Nik would say yes.

_Later that night…_

"No."

"Nik, come on."

"No, it's too much."

Mei sighed and plopped down on the couch. Apparently Nik didn't now as much about the need for a car, "It's less than it would cost to repair the Sil-eighty."

Nik knew that much. He didn't really want to get it though. He shrugged, "If it's so important, I'll let you take the racing fund money, but the rest is up to you and blondie over there."

Al sighed at being called blondie. He remembered Nik had called some of his friends that before. Some of his female friends…

Mei smiled, "Cool, trust me, you won't regret this."

Nik walked towards the garage and whispered to himself, "That's what you said the last 20 or so times..." He walked over to the driver's side of his FC. Maka had let him out early tonight for some reason. Probably because it was so slow. He wondered when he should ask her to go out again…

He started up the car and pulled out of the garage. He drove down to the bottom of the mountain before he got onto the highway. He was heading towards Usui. He missed driving all the different passes every day. He needed a refresher course in his reverse drift technique on tight corners.

Nik got to the pass around 9:00. It was a little early. He started his run slowly. He wasn't going much faster than 100 km/h. He was sliding through the corners slowly, even just for a start. He accelerated and then things were feeling comfortable. His car cleared the corners quicker than before.

Nik took the corners tight, not worrying about maneuvering into the turns. His car was still clearing the corners slowly for him. His wide drift must be getting to comfortable for him. Maybe he could drift a little wider.

He went into the first set of corners on his second run at a good speed for him. He held the corners wide and kept his speed up. His maneuver was working even on these tight, continuous corners. He saw lights behind him following him. They looked like Mei's. A Sil-eighty?

He drifted into the next corner being followed in by this Sil-eighty. He wasn't too bad. He was going really fast though. Nik slowed him down because of his technique. Nik saw how he was slowing down a lot when he went into the corner after trying to catch him on the straight. The driver must be thinking that Nik was a slow driver. He couldn't allow that, now could he?

He accelerated harder on the next straight. He was hoping more speed wouldn't faze him too much. It didn't. Nik found entering the corners easier and exiting to be only a little more difficult. The car next to him was blue. He thought,_ "A blue Sil-eighty…where have I seen that before?"_

Nik started his third run with the Sil-eighty still tailing him. He looked at his gas meter. A ¼ full. He would barley be able to make it down to the gas station again with that much. He braked hard on the next straight, causing his car to spin out in a 180 degree motion. He left more than enough space for this other driver to pass but instead the blue Sil-eighty stopped like he did. It pulled up next to him.

He saw two girls get out. Cute one's too. He stepped out of his own car and looked over at them. He saw them walk over towards him. The blonde girl spoke first, "Not bad, not bad at all. You kept us behind through the whole race."

Nik smiled, "It wasn't that hard. You slowed down a lot on the corners that came one after the other."

This blonde girl looked insulted, "That's because we were saving the tires, something good racers now how to do."

"So you think I wasn't saving my tires?"

"Yeah, you were attacking those corners too wide to be saving your tires."

Nik smirked and leaned against his black hood, "The rear tires on my car are still pretty new. I only put them on about a few weeks ago. These tires grip the road especially well. The way I was drifting was to wear them down."

The other girl looked a little surprised, "Wear them down?"

"Yeah, by wearing them down I make it easier to make my rear end slide. Once I get them comfortable, then I'll start worrying about saving the traction."

The blonde girl looked impressed, "Not bad for a noob."

"I've been racing in Gunma for a few years now. I know what I'm doing on the passes."

The blonde put a very devilish smirk on her face. She looked over at my car and nodded, "So you're on a team called the Blak Nites?"

I looked up, "Yeah, I am."

"So what do you say? The Blak Nite's against Impact Blue on Friday night?"

Nik sighed. It had been a while since he personally raced against someone, a week or so now. He had to admit he liked the challenge of driving against an opponent. He looked up at him, "I need to talk to my strategist. I'll have my team meet you guy's up here tomorrow night."

The blonde agreed and walked back over to the passenger side seat. I looked over at the other girl, "Usually the driver has more say in what the team does than the navigator."

She looked back to me, "Usually the team leader has the ability to accept a race without having to talk to the strategist."

"So how about just me and you race?"

"What are you talking about?"

The blonde girl popped her head out the window, "Makasato, he's just trying to get in your head. Don't let him get to you."

Makasato walked up to him and got right in his face. She quietly whispered, "555-8956."

"Hmm?" She walked away back to her car and drove off with the other girl. That sounded like a phone number. He wrote it down on a piece of paper in his glove box before getting back in his car. He drove down to the gas station here in Usui.

He was really lucky. They were just closing up. He was able to get one of the attendants to full up his tank for him. Not a full service job, but it was all he needed. He sat in his car and looked at the number. Did she want to race him like he had talked about? Only one way to find out…


	15. Nik vs Maya: Part 1

Nik woke up at 3 am in a cold sweat. He couldn't sleep. He got up and walked out to his car. He sat there with the seat pushed back and reclined. He reached his hand in the glove box and pulled out her number. Maybe he actually did get to her. He reached around underneath his E-brake looking for his phone.

He picked it up and looked at the lit up screen. He spoke to himself, "555…" The numbers came up on the screen. It was early but if she thought the same way about this race, she'd be up, "89…56…" He had decided by now what he was gonna do, "Send."

He put the phone up to his ear. One ring…two, "Hello?"

"Wow, were you waiting for this phone call?"

"I'm sitting in my Sil-eighty; get to Usui in 30 minutes if you want to race."

"Ok, bye…" She had hung up by then. Nik looked at his clock. 3:12. It was 3:12 in the morning. His car had ¾'s of a full tank of gas. He had his keys in his left hand and his foot on the clutch. He looked down at his steering wheel. He looked back out his windshield. He wasn't wearing pants.

After putting on his pants, he walked out of the house and sat in the FC. He looked back at his clock. 3:17. He started the car and screeched his tires on his way backing out of the garage. He started down Myogi fast. He was driving like he was racing. He was racing, against the clock.

He hit the highway before he looked at his clock again. 3:25. Not bad so far. Now time to kick it up a notch on the straight. He went up to fifth gear and was close to the red line. This was faster then Nik was used to but he had to keep up his speed. He checked his time before the Usui exit. 3:35.

He really punched it on the uphill. He saw the usual race starting point. He had seen some races at Usui before. He took the last set of corners before the starting point at a very fast speed. He almost couldn't recover.

He pulled up next to the blue Sil-eighty. He looked out his tinted window and saw one driver in the other car. It was Makasato. He stepped out of his car as she did. He looked over to her, "So you accepted my challenge?"

She looked very nervous. She was also being very quiet. She looked up, "Yeah, sure."

"Ok, well then, you wanna get going?"

"Yeah, you know about the cat and mouse race?"

Nik nodded, "Yeah, that's where one chases and the other follows, right?"

She nodded, "Yeah, I want to be the mouse first."

Nik smiled, "You remember my driving style from yesterday."

"Yeah, you drifted really wide. I know I won't be able to pass until you wear down your tires. I'm hoping a race might just get you to that point. Not to mention I know something special about tonight."

Nik was intrigued at this. What did this girl have up her sleeve, "Ok then, let's go Makasato."

"Just Maya will do. No reason to extend my name. I noticed you don't with yours."

Nik smiled, "Yeah, how'd you know?"

"Simone and I did your racing background check on you since you got here in Japan. Two owned cars, and a 2:1 win ratio. We even went through the trouble of finding out your house address and phone number."

Nik's eyes widened, "Does Simone now you're here?"

Mei woke up when he heard the phone ringing. He walked out of his room and picked it up, "Hello?"

"Where the hell is Makasato?!"

Mei shook his head, "Who?"

"Is this Hogashinu Nikorasu?"

"No, my name's Meikeru. Who's this?"

"This is Simone from Impact Blue; I'm the team's navigator. We had talked to Nik about a race today. He said he needed to talk about it with the team's strategist."

Mei sat down and rubbed his neck, "Nik didn't even tell me he was going to Usui tonight. He left at 8:00 and got back at 11:30. I didn't ask any questions because he looked really tired."

"Is he in his room now?"

He got up and walked towards the garage, "Of course he is. He was beat tonight. He didn't have the energy to go out." He opened the door to the garage and his eye's widened, "Oh crap…"

Nik sat behind Maya waiting for her to start. She started off slowly. He followed her just as slow until they went around the first corner. Then the race started. She got her speed up in time for the first corner. Her car had good acceleration. It was gonna be a good race.

The first set of corners were easy. Nik was keeping behind for now. He had been in front when he had raced her before. He didn't know her driving style as well as she knew his. This was a better way to start out.

Nik followed her car tight while remaining wide. The car was wearing down the tires perfectly. He also was keeping good speed with Maya. Her car was working at a midpoint between fast and average. Why was she going so slow in a race where it was his job to catch her?

She was also leaving a lot of room on the outside. What was this race about? Why was she driving like this? It made no sense. She was driving like there was snow on the ground. Was this her all powerful secret?

Nik followed her into the next set of corners. It felt weird going slow to keep behind her. He wanted this race to last. What was going on?!

Mei stopped at the address he had been given. He looked over at the elevator to see a really cute blonde girl walk out of the building. Really cute… He saw her get in his passenger seat, "Meikeru?"

He smiled, "Just Mei, So Usui?"

She nodded, "Yeah, we need to get there fast."

He sighed uneasily, "Ok…" He pulled out and pushed down hard on the accelerator. He was blanking out. He saw the corner he needed to take coming up. His internal driver wasn't telling him to turn. Where was the voice?

"Brake, then turn the wheel half a turn before countering and accelerating."

He did as he had heard it. The car slid smoothly around the corner. When he got around it he smiled. The corner was easy. But it hadn't been his voice. He looked over at Simone, "I could have done that myself."

She smirked, "I saw your movements. You weren't reacting quickly enough. You would have hit the curb or worse, the building. You had an accident didn't you?"

Mei kept up his speed on this straight and rubbed his hand over his neck brace. It doesn't come off till tomorrow, "Yeah, on Akina a few nights ago."

"You wanna ta…wide corner in three seconds, start then."

"1...2...3." Mei turned perfectly into the corner. His movements were timed exactly. She really knew what she was talking about. He could see why Makasato drove so well with her. He wondered how she would race when she didn't have her navigator.

"Better put on your windshield wipers."

"Huh?" He looked out the window. Small specks had begun to show up on it. Soon his windshield was almost covered with it. He turned on his windshield wipers. The rain had started to come down here. How bad was it on Usui? Would Nik be… "Oh crap…"

"Oh crap!" Nik accelerated to he regained his traction. The road had been covered so quickly. The water had only started to come down a few minutes ago. It had covered the road so much. She had to have known.

Maya was taking the advantage now. She had been saving her tires because she was keeping them ready for the rain. She had enough grip to keep her speed where it was while he had been wearing his down this whole race. He had enough grip top handle the turns, but they were so continuous that his speed would be almost impossible to keep up.

Nik slid through the corners extremely slow while Maya was still gaining speed. He had to keep trying; he had nothing else he could do. Soon he found himself taking the same set of turns he had taken when he started out. He was back at the starting point again. He slowed down as she did before the last corner.

He went around her car and stopped right next to her. He saw her roll down her window and stick an umbrella outside, resting it on both cars. She then stepped out of her car and looked over at me, "Not bad."

I slid out through my passenger side door and looked at her, "You knew about this rain storm, didn't you?"

She smiled, "Yeah, I took advantage of it."

"You put a lot of hope in me surviving, didn't you?

"I hoped you would be smart about your tires. I also thought that you would remember to watch the weather."

"That's a pretty dirty trick."

"It was the only advantage I had."

"What do you mean?"

She looked a little sad, "I'm not an especially good driver without Simone. My technique would have been a lot better than this if she was racing with me. I could feel my movements being off, time wise I mean."

"I see, still was a dumb trick."

"Yeah, but the race isn't over yet. We still have at least another lap to go. You still up for it?"

Nik smiled, "Now that I know what I'm up against."

She smiled and got into her car. Nik got into his just before she put the umbrella back in her car. He was to be in front now. The only way he had a chance of beating her was if he could keep her behind. Luckily he knew how to keep his car wide.

He would need to drive without losing his traction though. It was all about the tires now. _"The rain will reduce the wear on your tires; just keep up the traction and grip the road no matter what…" _He thought as hepulled in front of Maya on the start of the second run. He looked at his clock. 4:10. He hoped he could finish by 5:30. That way he could get home and get some sleep.

He accelerated around the corner before starting to get his speed up. He pushed down on the accelerator and felt himself get his speed up. He went into the corner at his normal race speed. He saw the first corner coming at him. He braked, throwing the weight forward. He had started the drift. Now, could he finish it?


	16. Nik vs Maya: Part 2

Al woke up when his alarm clock went off. He sat up and yawned, "Screw you Nik." He stood up and began to rummage through his drawer looking for a pair of pants. He found a pair and put them on before walking into the kitchen. He poured himself a cup of coffee and then looked at the clock on the microwave. He stood up and looked around for his keys but couldn't find them, "Maybe I left them in my car." He walked out to the garage and stared at the emptiness, "Dude, where's my car?"

Nik remained his grip on the road and made it through the turn. He left a lot of room on the outside in the end though. He kept the car very tight. He had to get wider but it would be difficult due to the rain. Trying to go wide would leave a lot of time for his tires to loose grip with the road, especially in his front tires. If he lost his front grip, the risk of spinning out would greatly increase.

Maya didn't have to worry about the width of her drift. She was behind and had no reason to have a wide or even a fast drift. She was still expecting Nik to slip up. If he did, she would receive an opening where she could comfortably and easily pass him.

They got past the first few corners and then the course became slightly tighter. Nik wouldn't have to go as wide now. The course was still very wet and the weather wasn't changing. It was mid-autumn so the drains had leaves covering them mostly. The water was just sitting on the road. They weren't driving in the rain; they were driving in a storm.

Nik slid around the next set of corners tight as well. He couldn't go wide now. The wear on his rear tires was perfect for dry road conditions but he over did it for wet conditions. He would need to rethink his driving style for now. He couldn't switch tires for every race. He didn't have the cash. This race was all about keeping the lead.

Maya kept behind him steadily. Nik was trying to pull away and doing a bad job. He didn't have enough tire grip. Every time he had to recover he noticed the car slipping more and more. The rain did reduce the wear on his tires. It did so be relieving the friction between the road and the tires. This meant that he had less road grip during a drift. This, plus the fact that he had worn down his tires for control, led to him having much less traction then Maya. She had saved her tires because she knew she might run into conditions like these.

Nik had always prided himself on his ability to save his tires. Ever since what happened back home…

_(Flashback)_

_Nick smiled as he took the corner off of Main Street. He accelerated and powered through the next small turn. He then drove down through the dip. He began his E-brake drift through the next 90 degree corner. He looked over at Mike who nodded back to him, showing that the corner was wide enough. _

_Nick realigned himself with the road and started up the straight. Mike smiled over at Nick, "Nice corner."_

_Nick smiled, "Thanks. All that driving theory for the last two years really helped."_

"_You're telling me!"_

_It was all so simple then. You went into the corner, shifted to neutral, braked, pulled up the E-brake for about a sec, counter steered, shifted to second, and then accelerated to readjust with the road. The tires would give out so easily now because they had drifted with them so much. _

_Next corner came up. Same steps. The back felt a little weird when it slid out that time. No, not the back, it was the front. It slid too?_

"_Nick, next turn coming up."_

_Nick turned to the road, "We'll take this one hard core. Sound good?"_

_Mike smiled, "Rev it up then!"_

_Nick smiled and accelerated harder. He shifted up to 4th gear and put a lot of speed into it. He decided to get really crazy with it and go for the turn on the inside, close to where the stop sign brick was. _

_He turned into the turn and then shifted to neutral. He pulled on his E-brake but felt something weird occur in the front. He countered through reflex and then things got really different. _

_It felt like he had lost all contact with the road. He was just sliding sideways. He looked out his window to see the stop sign coming up. He downshifted to third and accelerated but still hit the sign. Since he had forgotten to counter steer, the car began to spin out. The acceleration didn't help with the grip. _

_They did a 360 before Nick lay off the accelerator and hoped the car would slow down. The accelerator had gotten stuck. He placed his foot under it and kicked back out of place before he looked up. Then he saw the tree._

_The car hit on an angle, crushing in the bar between the front and rear door of Nick's side. The door popped into Nik's arm and he heard a pop. His eyes widened and his mouth opened expecting a scream to come, but nothing. He heard someone say, "Oh shit…"_

_He looked over to see Mike leaning back in his chair, blood slowly coming out from his nose. He looked over to Nik, "Are you Ok?"_

_Nick spoke in pain, "I think I dislocated my shoulder…" He looked out to see that his head lights were still on. He pressed a button, making them slide back down into the body. Mike got out on his side and Nik followed him. _

_Mike sat against the hood of the car and looked at Nick rubbing his arm. Nick looked over at his cousin as he wiped his face. Mike walked over to Nick and touched his arm, "Bite on your sleeve."_

_Nick did so and closed his eyes. They opened again when Mike had forced the arm back into place. Nick fell to his knees and actually managed to scream this time. He looked up at Mike, "Ow……"_

_Mike smiled, "Let's go home."_

_Nik nodded and walked away from the car crash. He swore it would never happen again…_

_(End flashback)_

"It's really coming down out here isn't it?"

Mei nodded and turned on his defrost to take the fog off the windows, "This must be some crazy kind of a storm."

Simone sighed, "I hope Maya and Nik are ok."

"Nik I wouldn't worry about, he's only crashed once in his whole life. He's a really good driver."

"So is Maya, but this weather might even make Tak's 86 crash."

"Tak?"

Simone looked surprised, "You know, the famous 86 driver of Mt. Akina."

"I know the car, but never heard of the driver. I went to the race he had against Takahashi Ryosuke with Nik."

"Yeah, I heard he raced an S-14 in the rain, but I remember that storm, this one is a lot worse."

Mei took a corner and began to make his way up towards Usui pass. He saw how the roads were basically flooded. He looked at his clock. 4:30. It was really early in the morning. Maybe Nik had won by now and was already heading home. He looked over at Simone, "Don't you and Maya have a signature type of race?"

Simone nodded, "Yeah, it's a cat and mouse race. One racer follows the other and if he passes them, then he wins. If not, they switch positions and go again. It's a good type of race because of Usui's tight corners."

Mei nodded and looked back on the road. Usui did have tight corners and a deep ravine. If Nik slipped up, he could end up kissing the bottom of it. He really didn't want to see that. Mei slid around the next corner and headed up to the starting point. He got there and stopped. There was no one there. He looked over at Simone, "Do you think there still racing?"

Simone nodded, "They've had more than enough time to finish one lap. I suppose they probably are."

Mei clenched his fist and turned off the car. He leaned back in his chair and stared up the roof of the car, "Now we wait…"

Nik slid through the next set of corners slightly slower than before. He had realized that Maya also had to take it easy with the rain. As long as he had traction, speed didn't matter. Not since Maya wasn't going to try passing on a straight. In the corners, they both would have to slow down accordingly. Nik just had to hope he could keep her behind.

Maya attempted to pass on two corners. She found out how easily she lost traction. Maya had one hope. C-121. It was long enough that she could slide along without worrying a lot about acceleration. She would decelerate so much that her tires would be able to regain the traction and pass him. The pass was becoming covered in water. The next lap might be the most dangerous. She had to pass him now.

C-121 quickly came towards them. Nik entered at a comfortable speed, as did Maya. Nik noticed Maya getting very close to him. What was she planning? He then saw her accelerate along side him. Her back slid a little more but she had slowed down enough to where it didn't matter much. Nik had slowed down almost as much, but his acceleration was greater than that of the Sil-eighty's. He knew that acceleration now would cause him to spin out uncontrollably.

Maya was at his headlights. He couldn't allow her to pass him. He accelerated and spun out before his tires regained a comfortable grip with the road. He counter steered really hard and kept up his acceleration. He was basically taking up the entire width of the road. Maya was forced slow down. Nik turned back towards the road. He accelerated again and spun again but less. He had regained the lead.

Maya sighed. She didn't pass him. She knew the other corners wouldn't be long enough or wide enough to easily pass. Nik had defended his loss by acting completely crazy. He certainly was the most daring driver she had ever met.

Nik slid through the next corners very carefully. He was afraid that the maneuver he used on C-121 had worn down his tires even more. Luckily it didn't. He had the rain to thank for that. He slid around again and found himself by those same corners where he had started. He pulled over to where he saw a black Hachiroku. He watched as the driver rolled down his window and showed Nik the dark, evil, pissed off eyes of Meikeru. Behind him was a set of eyes that looked almost just as dark, evil and pissed off. They belonged to Simone.

Maya also pulled up next to him and saw Simone. She looked somewhat scared. She got out of her car and put on a blue coat with a hood that she had pulled over her head. She walked over to the passenger side. She looked into the deep eyes of Simone, "Hi Simone, how are you?"

At that moment, Nik and Mei noticed Simone in all her glory, "How am I? How am I?! You take the car at 2:30 in the morning without leaving a note saying where your going and I find out that you're on Usui racing some moron in one of the biggest storms of the year and you ask How am I?!?!"

Nik began to open his mouth in response to being called a moron but Mei put a finger to his lips, "Shhh, this will be good."

After about five minutes of Simone yelling at Maya, she looked at Mei, "You can say what you want to Nik now." Mei nodded and looked over at Nik, "You ok?"

Nik nodded, "Yeah, I'm fine."

"Good, let's go home."

"No."

"No?"

Nik nodded, "I'm not finished racing yet."

Maya smiled while Simone frowned. She stepped out and put on her own coat before looking at Nik, "The weather isn't clearing up anytime soon. By now, the roads are slicked more than anything. There's no way any sane person would keep driving."

Nik smiled at Simone, "I understand, but for once this isn't your race."

Mei stepped out as Nik did and put a hand on his shoulder, "Dude, come on, you can finish this on a better day."

Nik nodded but disagreed, "This isn't your race either. This isn't Impact Blue vs. the Blak Nites. This is Nik vs. Maya. That's how it started, and that's how I'll finish it. I've made my decision, what about you Maya?"

Maya nodded, "I decided to go against Nik on my own. That's how I'll finish it."

Simone sighed and walked over to the Sil-eighty with her to discuss some strategy. Nik looked over at Mei, "You have any crap in the trunk?"

Mei nodded, "Yeah, I got a box of computer equipment and the spare tire, why?"

"Would you mind if I put them in my trunk?"

Mei raised an eyebrow, "You mean you want to race with them?"

"Yeah, I guess you can say it's a kind of strategy. I need to keep the rear of the car weighted down. It will help me with the traction. I wore out the rear tires a lot for dry conditions, so there not doing to good here. The weight will help."

Mei walked around to the trunk of the Hachiroku. He opened it and helped Nik take the stuff over to Nik's trunk. Nik placed them so they wouldn't slide, a little trick he had picked up from driving the tea job he had when using the Hachiroku. Also from delivering tea, he knew that the weight helped him get around corners better in the rain. He never drove in weather this bad though, Hoijin-san had always closed the shop.

Simone walked around and got back in the Hachiroku when Mei did. Nik got into the FC and started up the engine. He heard the Sil-eighty revving up and he saw it pull ahead of him. He followed it around the first corner and then things got started. They both accelerated towards the first corner and Maya braked early. What had she and Simone planned? Only one way to find out…


	17. Nik vs Maya: Part 3

Maya let the braking take her into the corner. She was letting the wet road do the work so she didn't have to. It was a good technique. It saved her traction for when she needed to exit the corner. The loss of speed was only to be expected. She wasn't expecting Nik's plan.

The FC's rear end kept good road grip along the turn. The added weight kept the car balanced out well and allowed Nik to attack the corner more aggressively then he could without the weight. At the end of the turn, Nik was able to regain contact with the road and the weight helped him grip so that he didn't spin out.

Maya on the other hand had a slower approach. The reason Nik couldn't pass now was because of her width. The rain made her car go wider than she would usually go. No doubt a plan she had worked out with Simone while Mei was helping Nik load the equipment and tire into the back of the RX7.

The continuous turns became easier to handle as well. Nik was able to regain and then lose grip quickly and effectively. Maya on the other hand was having trouble recovering. She was going wide on the entry corners but she was tight on the outside lane on the second corner. Her recovery speed was slower than Nik's.

Since Usui wasn't a downhill pass, Nik had to wait until he was on an inclined turn before he could pass her. He couldn't pass her on an uphill turn. The road was becoming slightly wetter with each turn. It didn't look like this storm was letting up anytime soon. The windshield wipers could barley get the water off of the window.

The road was slightly wider along the next set of turns. It was slightly uphill so Nik still didn't have a place to pass. He needed a comfortable incline. Nik was a little more comfortable with the corners now. He had the car was becoming slightly faster as he continued down the mountain pass. The car was reacting quicker and Nik was keeping calm. Calmer than calm. He wasn't even happy. He was focused.

Nik attacked the next set of corners more aggressively then before. He caught more ground on Maya's Sil-eighty. Maya was accelerating more. In normal conditions, that would be easy, but they were racing in the rain. She would slowly begin to lose traction when going through the corners. She probably wasn't expecting it due to not being with Simone.

Nik saw Maya enter the next corner. Her car was slipping more. She almost grazed the wall. He downshifted and continued the long slide through the corner. Her car didn't decelerate as much as before. She kept her speed up almost normal but she remained a nearly constant contact with the road. She had to. If she was driving with her co-driver, things would be different. Nik couldn't help but wonder how much of a difference it might make.

Mei sat anxiously in the car with Simone. Where were they? Every second that went by all he could think about was Nik crashing and…

"So when did you come to Japan?"

Mei looked over at her somewhat stunned. Wasn't she worried to? "I came here about 3 years ago."

"Did you come for the touge?"

"Kinda, I also came to make sure Nik didn't kill himself."

She smiled, "So you care for him a lot?"

He sighed, "He's been like a brother to me since we were like……1"

"Wow, lifetime connection?"

"I guess… Aren't you worried about Maya?"

"Of course I am!"

He bowed his head, "I'm sorry. You just don't seem like it."

"Talking is my way of keeping calm. Well, sometimes."

"I guess talking is better then sitting here in silence worrying."

Simone sighed, "Maya's never run an actual race without me. And also, we've never driven against an opponent in the rain."

Mei smiled in a weak attempt to comfort her, "I'm sure she's fine. Nik has more experience in the rain but never since we've got here we've seen a storm this bad. I'm worried about him more and more every second…"

Simone reached her hand out and rubbed Mei's shoulder, "Don't worry, I'm sure they'll both be fine."

Mei's left arm relaxed and he felt calm, "Thank you."

Simone gripped down on his shoulder tighter and twisted his body so his back was facing her. She placed her other hand on his other shoulder and continued to knead the muscles in his neck that lead down to his shoulders, "Your body is really tense."

Mei was a little surprised but couldn't react in anger. He felt too comfortable. He let himself slip into her grasp, "It comes from years and years of making sure Nik doesn't kill himself."

She gripped tighter and loosened again, "Yeah, a good massage is one way of making sure that the tension doesn't build up."

He closed his eyes and relaxed in her arms, "I wish you could be here like this everyday."

Simone smiled and put her mouth up next to Mei's ear, "I can be…"

Nik shifted up to third gear at the end of the corner. He kept on the accelerator hard and he was on Maya's tail. Her car was acting weird. It appeared like her backend dropped to the ground when she slowed down for the corner. There was a good chance she was hydroplaning. Her level of control would slowly get farther away from her the more she increased her speed. Soon she would just spin out.

Nik couldn't exactly stop her. She was just trying to win and not worrying about the consequences. If she spun out on the outside, then she would surely go through the rail. There was one way he could make her stop. He could pass her. Nik didn't care about the uphill or downhill advantage. He just had to do it so she didn't over do it.

He went into the next corner at full throttle. He stayed on the inside of the corner and felt the car understeer. He tried to hold himself out through the corner. He noticed Maya slide to the outside. Nik went for a pass with little avail. He started to let the back slide and Maya pulled ahead of him to get the advantage. She pulled ahead on the next straight.

Nik couldn't attempt a pass on the straight because Maya would only accelerate more to keep him behind. Going faster was the last thing he wanted her to do. He just sat it out and waited for the next corner that wasn't part of a set. He looked at the road and noticed what turn he was on. He was on the 115th curve. That means….

Nik accelerated through the next five turns with ease on Maya's tail. He saw the sign for C-121 pass by him. Maya attacked the corner after downshifting. He under steered and followed Maya in tight. She was accelerating hard. Her grip was wavering thought. She slid to the outside and left Nik a passing zone. He had to take it.

Nik accelerated and heard the water spin up behind him. He felt his tires hit the ground and spin a little bit as well. He accelerated along the side of Maya. He saw that she was scraping along the rail. Her car was sliding too far. He accelerated past her and kept his acceleration up. He passed her out. He sighed in relief as he continued around the corner. He saw Maya slowing down to a stop. He pulled his e-brake and came to a stop himself.

He looked at Maya as she stepped out of her car. She was getting soaked. He grabbed his hooded sweatshirt and ran over to her. She accepted it simply and then just stared at him. Nik looked at her, "What's wrong?"

She smiled, "Well, you beat me."

Nik smiled, "I noticed, and we're getting soaked because…?

She put her hand out towards Nik, "Good race."

Nik smiled and took her hand, "The pleasure was mine."

She walked back to the door of her Sil-eighty, "We should get back before they start to worry."

Nik nodded and walked back over to his FC. He pushed down on the accelerator and let Maya lead the way back to the starting line.

They got back to the starting line quickly. Maya looked over at the Hachiroku and saw Simone run out of the car. She sat down in the passenger seat and heard the results of the race. Simone got out and ran over to Nik's FC. Nik rolled down the window and looked at her, "Yes?"

"Good race."

Nik smiled, "Thanks."

Nik saw Simone run back to her car and drive away after waving at the Hachiroku. Nik looked over at Mei's windshield but then saw him drive away. Nik followed him as they headed home.

They got home at about 6:00 that morning. Nik yawned and looked over to Mei as he got out of the Hachiroku, "What happened between you and Simone?"

Mei smiled, "Good night Nikorasu-san."

Nik looked stunned, "You didn't…"

Mei sighed, "Chill out, I only kissed her. Would you have been so surprised if I did?"

Nik looked at him angrily, "I don't want to have to change the entire interior of the 86."

"Hey!"

Nik smiled and walked in the house to see Al staring at both of them. Al stood up, "Where the hell have you been!?"

They both answered calmly at the same time, "Usui."

"Ok then, let me rephrase the question. Why the hell were you on Usui with my car at 4:00 in the morning!?"

Together they calmly answered, "Racing."

Al was annoyed at their calm and precise answers. He sighed and plopped down on the couch, "Hoijin-san said that I have the day off anyway. You're lucky…"

Mei smiled, "Oh thank you kind sir."

Al sighed, "Shut up and go to sleep."

Mei walked into his room and sat down on his bed. He reached into his pocket and pulled out Simone's phone number. He remembered how her lips felt when they touched his own. He smiled and leaned back on his bed, staring at the ceiling.

Nik sat down on the couch next to Al, "So how has school been going?"

Al looked over from the TV, "Ok I guess, a lot of guys don't like me though."

Nik looked confused, "Why?"

Al answered in one simple word, "Miki."

Nik sighed, "Just had to fall for the popular girl, didn't ya?"

Al sighed, "Shut up."

Nik walked over to the kitchen table and picked up the keys to the Hachiroku. He threw on Al's lap, "Go show them your moves. Then see if they bother you."

Al stood up and walked out towards his car, "Whatever…"


	18. Challenge Accepted

Al started up the Hachiroku engine. He sighed at the sound of the engine. He thought about putting a turbo charger in it, but he would need Nik's permission and enough cash for it. The money he made working for Hoijin-san at the Tea shop went straight back to the house. Al barley had any cash.

He backed out of the garage and began his way down the Myogi downhill. He took the corners lightly. They were becoming easier to handle the more he drove on it. Everyday he took the downhill and uphill at least twice. His car was becoming more comfortable. He felt more attached to it then the 240 back home. He hadn't even had as much experience with it, but the car seemed more difficult to control than the 240. It must have something to do with the non-existent ABS.

He finished his way down the mountain and took a corner onto a side street. He accelerated past a few shops before the High School parking lot came into view. He pulled in and parked right before Miki ran up to him from a group of people. He saw a few of the guys who were next to her walk up next to him also. Miki smiled, "You brought your car! Now you can give me a ride to work."

He saw one of the guys; he looked about 18, walk up and look at his car, "Your car is kinda pathetic."

Al stepped out of the car after shutting off the engine, "It's a little weak, I know, but it handles the downhill run ok."

He smirked, "I bet it can't beat my Eclipse." He pointed to a white Mitsubishi Eclipse that was behind him with his thumb.

He looked over at it, "Depends on the driver's skill."

"Well I know I'm better than any American punk."

"You never know until you race."

"I learned how to drive from my brother, the leader of the White Lightning team."

"White Lightning?"

"White Lightning is the number two team on Myogi and they've only lost to Shingo Shouji on the downhill."

"Who decided they were number two?"

"They did due to the fact that the only team on Myogi they haven't beaten is the Night Kid's."

"I doubt they've raced my team."

"Me too, cause they probably blow."

"Why don't we race to find out?"

Everyone looked at them and the guy smirked, "What's your name punk?"

"Hogashinu Alex."

"I'm Minomoto Yahiko. How about we meet up Sunday night at 9:00 on the top of Myogi. That should be a good time since most teams don't start practicing till 10 or later."

"Ok then."

Kanryu walked away towards class. Miki grabbed Al's arm and led him to the building. She smiled sweetly as she clanged to him. He just smiled and kept walking with her. He had gotten used to the usual death glares. He just walked to his classes casually with her next to him most of the way. He was glad when Miki took him up onto the roof.

He went up there with her when he was supposed to be eating lunch. It was empty as usual. The wind was blowing lightly and Miki's hair was waving slightly. She stared at him and soon she was holding him as usual. They sat by the rail and talked as she rested her head on his shoulder.

She sighed, "So do you think you'll beat Yahiko?"

"I don't know. We've both had some experience on the Myogi downhill so we should be about equal. The only advantage he might have is over my engine."

She cuddled up close to him, "I'm gonna come up to the top with you. I want to watch you race. Like you said, I'm good luck!"

He smiled, "Actually I'd like it if you'd wait for me at the bottom. I want you to be there when I win."

She smiled and looked up at him lovingly. She reached her neck up and placed her lips against his. He closed his eyes as she did and enjoyed the way her lips tasted. He thought_, Umm, cherries…_

When she pulled away he smiled, "What was that for?"

"Just because."

He smiled, "Ahh…"

He sat with her for a few more minutes until the bell had rung. They went back down and she was with him for the rest of the day. After school, they went to the Hachiroku in the parking lot. He looked over at the Eclipse as Yahiko started it up. The engine was idling for a moment and he could hear it clearly. The engine was still stock. He still had a larger engine. He hoped his brother wasn't as good a driver as Nik. If he was, he might have a problem…

Al walked Miki into the restaurant and she went in back to get Nik for him. Maka allowed him to take a fifteen minute break. Nik went out and sat with Al as Miki brought them both tea. He looked over at his younger brother, "What's up?"

He sighed, "I accepted a race against an Eclipse today."

Nik smiled, "Congratulations. See? What did I tell ya? You show them what you got and you'll be accepted by them."

Al sighed again, "Have you ever heard of White Lightning?"

Nik nodded and sipped his tea, "Yeah, they've declared themselves the number two team on Myogi. They've accepted all the races that the Night Kids declined. The teams they faced weren't half bad either. Their leader's name is Minomoto Kanryu if I can remember correctly."

Al nodded, "I'm racing Minomoto Yahiko, Kanryu's little brother."

Nik nodded, "He probably learned a lot from his brother. They both drive FR cars but the older brother has a Mitsubishi 3000GT."

Al nodded, "Right. It's a nice car, especially on a downhill. It has a non-turbo model that still puts out almost 220 hp. I've heard the turbo model puts out almost 320."

Nik sipped his tea again, "Yeah, my FC came with the stock turbo and the performance muffler had pushed it up to somewhere around 220."

Al nodded, "The 86 is still stock for the most part just like the Eclipse. He still has a larger engine and more horsepower though. Not to mention I'm pretty sure Kanryu is a better driver than me because he's learned how to drive directly from his brother. I only rode in your car when you were driving seriously a few times with the 240 and only once on Myogi. I basically taught myself through trial and error."

Nik sighed. If he had known how much his brother had liked street racing before, he would have spent more time explaining it to him. He sipped his tea again and looked over, "Meet me on top of the mountain at 9:30."

"What?"

Nik sat up and looked at him, "Just do it, ok?!"

Al nodded and backed down, "Ok, ok, chill…"

Nik stood up and put down his tea. He walked back into the kitchen and looked through the open area where they placed the plates after they were prepared. He saw him sensually kiss Miki before walking out. Nik's eyes widened. He then sighed, "What the hell is the matter with you Al?"

"What's the matter? It's cute."

Nik turned his head towards Maka who was now staring at him, "He should be more respectful to women."

She sighed, "He's 17, let him live a little. Didn't you ever have a fling when you were younger?"

Nik tilted his head back and thought about it for a short moment, "No."

Maka looked surprised, "Wow, A cute guy like you? Hard to believe…"

Nik smiled, "I was the guy who had friends who were girls but not girlfriends. Not for lack of offers, but I just didn't want to date then. I had other things on my mind."

She sighed, "Like touge?"

He sighed, "Not _just_ touge. I had classes, friends, responsibilities, and a ton of other things I had to take care of."

"You're just making up excuses." She turned around and flipped around the race in the pan.

Nik sighed and walked over to the table where he was working before. He thought as he rolled up the sushi he was going to be serving tonight. What about touge did she dislike so much? He remembered that her brother had run off to become a racer, but still. That couldn't make her hate the sport, could it?

Al heard the rotary engine coming. He looked down the mountain to see his brother coming around the downhill turn. He leaned against his Hachiroku as Nik pulled up to the downhill starting line. He looked over to see one thing he didn't expect. It was a white R32. He looked at the driver who stepped out of it.

Nik smiled, "Not bad Mei, not bad at all."

Mei smiled back, "Yeah, I just took it on a hardcore uphill run. I realize how Nakazato Takeshi must feel when he has an uphill race."

"So how'd you get it so quickly?"

"The mechanic at the Nissan dealership bought the parts from the Sil-eighty for 200,000 yen like I thought. He said he could re-sell them to the company for more than that, especially the undamaged body parts. Then I haggled a bit and I got him to lower the price down to 475,000. So I cleaned out the car fund and I also took the extra 75,000 out of the house fund."

Nik's eyes widened, "The house fund?!"

Mei sighed, "Chill out. I'll put it back in some spare cash I make."

Nik sighed and rubbed his forehead. Why did he put up with these people? He looked over at Al, "You ready?"

"Yeah." Al started over towards his car.

"Wrong car Al." Nik sat in the driver's seat of his FC.

Al walked over and sat in the passenger seat, "What good will it do to go down the mountain in a car that doesn't belong to me?"

Nik sighed, "I'm not driving hardcore. I want to show you the different corners and where to drift and where not to."

Al nodded and listened to Nik start up the engine. He began his way down the mountain. He pointed out the uphill corner after the starting line. He explained how this would be a good corner to drift on, so he could start a good downhill run. He showed how the next corner was slightly weaker, so downshifting would suffice instead of breaking. He gave small tips all the way down the mountain. He explained how if he stayed behind, he could draft and keep his speed up. He also explained about how to drift through the hairpins and actually drifted through one at a low speed.

After there lesson, they drove back up to the top of the mountain. They looked over at Mei sleeping in his car. Al laughed a little and Nik just smiled. Al got into his car as Nik instructed and they went to the starting line. Nik drove ahead rather quickly. He did keep his speed low though. The first corner was a drift just like Nik had told him. Al followed him closely through the quick corner and then on to the second. On the second, he clutched in and downshifted, losing speed only slightly, before accelerating and pulling through the corner.

The next four corners were simple corners. Al was easily able to power through them. The fifth turn was the first hairpin. Al let off the accelerator as Nik had instructed. He headed into the corner from the outside to the inside. He than began his drift by braking, so he could shift the weight. After downshifting he got on the accelerator to make his car adjust with the road again and regain traction. He found the corner…easier than usual? A simple alteration to his technique could do that?

He went down the rest of the mountain on Nik's tail without trying to pass. He didn't want to. He wanted to study the feel of the car into the corners. It slid so comfortably without using as much technique. Light corner, hard corner, hairpin, medium corner, hairpin, light corner, they all came and gone like nothing. How did Nik drift like this? Al was doing low speed corners and he wasn't racing, but it still felt so easy. Is this the way Nik drifted when he went on the tea deliveries? He had only driven them with him once and he couldn't tell the style because he was a passenger. What was Nik really capable of?

They finished their downhill run and Nik looked at his clock. 10:10. He looked over at Al as he sat against the Hachiroku. He nodded in agreement with what his brother was thinking and headed home. Nik picked up his cell phone and called Mei in his car. Mei picked his phone up groggily, "Hello?"

Nik smiled, "Wake up sleeping beauty, time to go home."

Mei nodded inside his 32, "Ok, see you there."

Nik hung up his phone and got into his car. He headed back up the mountain. He passed Mei on the way down. He continued up to the top and when he got there he sat. He closed his eyes for almost ten minutes while he sat there at the downhill starting line. After that, he opened his eyes but they were different. It was like he was focused beyond belief. He looked down at his clock quickly. 10:30. He started the engine and began down the downhill. He was in fourth gear at the first corner. He hit it hard; his drift angle slightly over what would be considered usual. He accelerated without burning his rubber up.

He continued to the second medium corner. He powered straight through it and kept accelerating. He was in fifth gear at the opening of the next hairpin. He slowed down and downshifted into fourth. He powered through the corner. The acceleration caused him to oversteer at the apex of the corner. It was timed perfectly. His let off the accelerator and allowed the tires to slide to the outside. He downshifted to third and accelerated to realign with the road and headed through the next medium corner.

The next two hairpin corners caused the same reaction. The hard corners were the only ones where he actually pulled off a drift, an amazing drift, but a drift none-the-less. The hairpins where a combination of drift and power over. Most other corners where power overs with a slight rear slip. All his movements where timed though, timed exactly. In his head, he was counting from the start of the corner till the end. His only thoughts at the start of the corner, _1 one thousand, 2 one thousand, three one thousand, four… _However many it took for the corner

Nik accelerated through the next corners the same as the rests, the count in his head keeping track of the movements. He knew his mountain well. So did the FC. It seemed like the FC was moving through the corners and Nik was just a passenger. The car had a mind of its own on this type of run. Nik's body was doing what the car told him and the car was doing what the mountain told her.

Nik came to side spin stop at the bottom of the mountain, right past the finish line. He blinked his eyes and they went back to normal. He looked at his clock and smiled as it flipped to 10:33. He smiled and began his way home. The car returned to being a car and Nik returned to being…Nik.


	19. Realizing Emotions

Al got up at 4 like usual. He got dressed and drank a cup of coffee before walking out to his Hachiroku. He saw an unexpected sight. Nik was in his passenger's seat. Al sat in the driver's seat and stared over at his brother uneasily, "You haven't driven with me like this before. What's up?"

Nik smiled, "If I'm going to teach you how to drive correctly, I have to drive with you and tell you how to drive. Get it?"

He sighed, "I suppose…"

He kept the smiled on his face, "Until you can drive like me, then you can't race like me."

Al raised an eyebrow, "Until I have a 220 horsepower RX7, then I can't drive like you."

Nik smirked, "Well, you can still try."

Al smiled and started up his car. He had never felt such a close connection to his brother. He backed out of the garage and began his way down the mountain. He did the best he could to remember the corners and they seemed easy. He didn't remember them that well but they seemed just to look easy. He could tell the power he could use just by looking at the width of the corner. It seemed…comfortable.

Al pulled into the shop and saw the Hoijin-san smoking a cigarette and standing next to a few boxes of tea. Al got out and Nik walked over to Hoijin-san. They watched as Al loaded the boxes.

Hoijin looked at Nik and offered him a cigarette, "Want one?"

Nik smirked, "No thanks, I only smoke after sex."

Hoijin smiled, "So never smoked in that case?"

Nik laughed sarcastically, "Funny, really funny. So how's the kid doing for the business?"

Hoijin nodded and took a drag on his cigarette, "He's quite the kid. He hasn't been late for work at all since he started. I remember you were late a few times when you had just started."

Nik smiled, "He's a hard worker and a good kid."

Hoijin took another drag, "So did you get a new job yet?"

Nik nodded, "Yeah, I'm working at a restaurant here in Myogi, The Gotsu family restaurant."

Hoijin looked surprised, "Gotsu?"

Nik nodded, "Yeah, why?"

"I knew the Gotsu family well; they used to order tea from here. They were doing business with me ever since there youngest was about seven."

"Maka?"

"Makata, but I remember she liked being called Maka."

Nik smiled, "Yeah, Maka. She's my boss."

"She's running it and she's in med school?"

"She's quite the girl…"

Hoijin's look became angry, "I swear to god, if you slept with her, I'll…"

"No, No, NO!"

Hoijin looked angrier, "So you're saying she's not good enough for you?!"

"No, No, NO!"

Al looked over, "Nik let's go!"

Nik very quickly walked over to the Hachiroku as Hoijin watched him with the evil eyes. Nik got in and Al skidded as he pulled out of the parking lot. He looked over at his older brother with a questioning brow, "What was that about?"

Al slouched down low in his seat, "Just drive."

Al nodded with a smile on his face, "Ok…"

Al accelerated up the on-ramp and got onto the freeway. Within fifteen minutes they were closing in on the Akina exit. Al pulled off and went past a few blocks before he got onto the mountain. He began his uphill run. Al wanted to attack it hard but he decided just to accelerate at a medium rate. He got over in about ten minutes. He stopped at the restaurant and saw a kid come out from the restaurant and help unload the boxes.

Nik carefully listened to the radio and sighed. Nik had never even thought about sleeping with her. While there was that one…No, that didn't even count! What was going on in Hoijin's head? He sighed and cracked his neck as Al stepped back into the car. He started it up and headed up. When he got to the top he accelerated and went to drift through the first corner. Nik watched his movements and they were fine. Al accelerated and began movements to drift through the next corner.

"Stop."

Al slammed on the brakes and the car skidded to a stop. He looked over at his brother, "What did I do?"

"What would you describe the difficulty of this turn as?"

Al looked ahead at the road and nodded before looking over at his brother, "Medium."

Nik smiled, "Good, now, would you drift a medium corner if you were trying to keep your speed up?"

Al nodded, "No, but by not drifting, don't you increase the chance for understeer, especially in a low hp, FR car like this one?"

Nik thought for a minute and the nodded, "Yeah, I suppose…"

Al smiled, "So drifting would be correct for a corner like this in a car like this?"

Nik sighed, "I suppose if you were going in at a speed to high…"

Al smiled, "I knew something about drifting that you didn't!"

Nik looked over, "I was thinking about my FC, not your Hachiroku. If I was thinking about your car, then I would have been right."

Al smiled, "I was right and you were wrong, so ha."

Nik slouched down in his seat again. This wasn't his morning, "Just drive."

Al continued down the mountain driving his own way. He got them home around 6:00 am. Nik walked back into his room and passed out. Ten minutes later his alarm went off. He stood up and locked at his clock before throwing at across the room. He stood up and walked into the bathroom to take a shower. He leaned against the shower wall and let the water run down his body. He opened his eyes and looked at the shower curtain through the mist. His body felt good for once.

Nik got out and walked into the kitchen. He looked over at Mei who was drinking coffee. Mei nodded and looked over, "How are things with Maka?"

Nik poured himself a cup and nodded, "Fine, I guess."

Mei smiled, "How about you and I go on a double date? Me, you, Maka, and Simone?"

Nik shook his head, "I don't think she would like to be sitting at a table surrounded by touge lovers."

Mei sighed, "That thing about her brother, right?"

Nik nodded, "Yeah, I hope he didn't do anything stupid. I don't even know where he runs."

Mei stood up and grabbed his keys, "I'll talk to some of the people I know. If I find anything, I'll let you know."

"Yeah, see ya." Mei walked out to his new R32 and started the engine. Nik could here it inside the house. It was powerful. He watched him pull out and make his way down to work. Al walked out a few minutes later and left for school. Nik sighed and leaned back in his chair for a few minutes before going to work. They all went about their days like usual.

Nik worked quietly with Maka in the back room. Nik heard the sound of the Hachiroku pull up a minute before Miki walked in. She was smiling like she had been when Al had left yesterday. Nik sighed, "Stupid kids…"

Maka smiled, "Are you still on that whole thing about them kissing?"

Nik looked over, "I just don't want him rushing into anything."

Maka placed a comforting hand on Nik's shoulder, "He's old enough to take care of himself. Just let him be."

Nik sighed, "I've just never rushed into a relationship like that."

Maka placed her other hand on his shoulder and slowly slipped it around his neck, connecting her two hands. She leaned up towards him and placed his lips on his. Nik was surprised but contained it. It wasn't surprising. It was relaxing and calming. He closed his eyes and slowly allowed himself to kiss her back. She pulled away and Nik opened his eyes. She smiled, "Now you know how your brother feels when he kisses Miki."

Nik looked at her, "Ahuh…"

She smiled and walked back over to her rice. Nik went back to the table he was chopping vegetables at. He chopped with his focus only slightly on it. If it wasn't for practice, he would chop a finger off. It seemed the act of him being stunned was an after effect. He continued working all day.

Before they left, Nik stopped Maka so they could talk. He looked at her, "Did you kiss me just because you wanted to not be upset when Al kissed Miki?"

Maka blushed a little, "No…"

"So what was it?"

Maka sighed, "You know I like you, right?"

Nik nodded, "Yeah."

Maka look worried at the next question, "And you like me, right?"

Nik nodded, "Yeah."

She smiled, "So I kissed you."

Nik looked confused, "That doesn't make any sense."

She walked out of the door with a smiled on her face, "Who said love made sense?"

Nik stood stunned until he heard her car go by. _Love?_ That word stayed with him all night.

He drove up to the top of the mountain at his usual time to meet Al. him up there with Mei again. Mei had brought food for himself this time. Nik smiled at him, "Is this just an excuse so you could come to the top of Myogi and pig out?"

Mei took a bite out of a hamburger he bought at a fast food restaurant before looking at Nik, "Shut up."

Nik smiled and got into the passenger side of Al's Hachiroku. Al started it up and they began a downhill run. Al slowed going into the first corner and drifted through it. Nik looked over to al at the end of the next corner, "Tighten up on your drift corners if you're behind, it'll help you clear them faster."

Al nodded and powered through the next turn. He increased his speed slightly as he powered through the next four corners. The hairpin came up. Nik looked of the road and at his brother. He noticed Al's movements. They were useable for a race against a low key opponent. Al accelerated down the next straight and drifted into the next corner. He was able to clear it tightly like his brother had said. He did feel like he was going faster. It also felt like his car wasn't drifting. It was like the car was just moving in one fluid motion.

Nik also noticed how Al was drifting. His technique was improving. In a hardcore run, he would be able to keep up with Nik. With more practice, he might actually be able to pass him. The more he drove, the better he became. At this point, he might be able to beat that eclipse. The only problem Nik noticed was power. The Eclipse was still more powerful than Al's 86. If power was that important, than Al might still lose. Nik had to find out.

Nik got to the top of the mountain with Al again. He got in his FC and pulled up to the line with him. Nik looked over at his brother, "I'm not holding too much back this time. This is a race."

Al nodded and focused himself on the road. He revved up the engine. He saw Mei walk to the top of the mountain. He put his hand up and counted down from five. At one, they both accelerated and were off the line by the time he finished saying go.

Nik pulled ahead quickly and wide drifted through the first corner. Al followed through tightly. Nik kept his acceleration up high in third gear. He swore unless Al had the opportunity to pass, that he wouldn't go passed third. He could nearly get up to 100 km/h in 3rd. That would do for a downhill run. Al kept with him for the most part but Nik had the overall advantage. Nik was the teacher and Al was the student.

Al finished up about 15 seconds behind his brother. He got out of his car and looked at him, "How did you go so fast through the corners?"

Nik looked over, "Your car has less power than mine. I was able to push myself through the medium corners. You, on the other hand, were going too fast, so you had to slow down to take the corners."

Al nodded, "So going slower makes you go faster?"

"In some cases, all drivers drive different."

"I think I understand."

"Good, go get Mei and come home." Nik got into his FC and drove towards the house.

Al drove up the moment and knocked on Mei's car window. He woke up and began his way down the mountain. Al was about to leave but then he saw about five cars coming up the mountain. He looked at them all as they made their way to the parking lot. An S-14, a 180SX, and a EG-6, all white. He then saw one familiar car and one car he had heard of. A white Eclipse followed by a white 3000GT with a carbon fiber hood. He saw Yahiko get out and look over at him with a smirk. He walked over towards him, "What's up Alex?"

Al nodded, "Not much, you?"

"Just coming up to practice, you wanna watch?"

Al declined, "No thank you, I have to get home."

He smirked, "Your mommy set you with a curfew?"

"I live with my older brother and no."

"So why don't you watch your opponent race?"

He opened the passenger door of his Hachiroku and put a foot in the door before looking back at Yahiko, "I'll beat you without watching you, so don't worry about it."

Yahiko scolded him and walked back over to the White lightning team. Al stared over at the 3000GT. It was a nice car and Kanryu looked like a racer. They were a team. Al began his way down the mountain so he could get home. He wanted to sleep so he could go to work tomorrow morning and then school. Seeing Miki would clear his head.


	20. Explanations

Friday slid by quickly. Al got through classes. Mei got through work. Nik had a somewhat interesting day compared to them though. The first Interesting thing happened during the morning. An expected sound soon was ringing in Nik's ears. It was the sound of a tuned exhaust pipe. It was coming out of a Mitsubishi engine. A bigger one then an Eclipse…

He saw a man with medium length black hair walk in to the restaurant. He sat down at one of the booths and looked at the waitress. Nik watched the waitress come up to the window. She spoke softly to him, "That guy over there was looking for a guy named Hogashinu. Isn't that your last name?"

Nik nodded and asked Maka for a break. She nodded politely and Nik walked out to the booth. He sat down with a serious look that matched the man's. The man spoke first in a rude tone, "Hogashinu?"

Nik nods, "Yeah, who are you?"

He kept the serious look on his face, "Minomoto Kanryu. Our younger brothers will be racing in two days."

Nik nodded again, "I know, Al's been preparing for it a lot. He wants to be able to beat him."

Kanryu smirked, "My brother is going to crush your brother, so don't worry about training for a loss."

Nik's looked became more serious, "I thought a good racer would now that a race isn't decided until they pass the finish line."

Kanryu laughed a little, "My brother's car isn't perfect put it can beat a pathetic Hachiroku. My team's Mitsubishi engines are the best."

Nik smirked, "There ok engines, but the power isn't what decides a downhill race."

Kanryu turned serious, "Look, well watch the race, and when Hiko wins, then you can apologize."

Nik stood up, "Get out."

He stood up and grabbed his keys off the table, "Gladly." He walked out of the restaurant and Nik heard the Mitsubishi engine rev up again. He heard the tires squeal as he pulled out. He looked over at Maka staring at him through the window. She turned away and went back to work.

Nik walked in and looked at her, "Why were you looking at me like that?"

Maka looked back at him, "You're getting into a squabble over something stupid like street racing."

Nik sighed, "There are a lot of people around who don't think it's stupid and I'm one of them."

She sighed, "You never think about anything but touge."

Nik's look became serious, "I think about a lot of things besides touge. I have a life. Touge is a small part of it."

"Yeah, no time for anything except touge, work, and sleep, right?"

"What are you talking about?"

"My brother ran away from the restaurant to go do something that got parents killed!" Tears slowly welled up in her eyes.

"Huh?"

She looked over at him, "My parents where driving back from eating at Lake Akina one night and the got cut off by a street racer. There car smashed into it and my parents where killed on impact. The other driver ended up at the bottom of the ravine."

Nik wanted to say something but had nothing to say. He saw the tears slowly making their way down her face. He walked over to her and took her in his arms. He held her close to him. She wrapped her arms around him herself. He didn't let go off her for a while. Miki came in with Al an hour later and they were still like that. Miki put up a sign that said 'Closed'.

Nik put Maka into her car and he personally drove her home. Al agreed to take Miki home and then he'd come and pick him up. Nik pulled up to Maka's apartment building and helped her out of the car. He helped her all the way up to her apartment. He walked in with her. He sat her down on her couch. He did everything he could to make her feel comforted.

He sat down next to her and looked at her dried eyes, "Are you ok?"

She looked up at him with a smile on her face, "You've done more than enough for me already…"

Nik brushed a strand of her that had fallen in her face behind her ear. He felt her shiver as his hand went along her cheek. She reached her own hand up and placed it behind his neck. He pulled her closer and carefully placed his lips on hers. Nik pulled away a few seconds later.

She smiled at him. Her sweet smile told him she was saying 'thank you'. Nik stood up when he heard the sound of the Hachiroku pull up. He stood up and was in the elevator by the time Al had honked the horn. Nik got down to the bottom level and got in the passenger side of the Hachiroku. They went back to the restaurant to get the FC.

Nik picked up the FC. He looked up into the sky. The sun was just setting. He looked over at Al, "Hey, I want you to go practice with Mei tonight. The Night Kid's have a race tomorrow night so I want you to talk over strategy with Mei. I'm sure he knows something about the Eclipse that I don't. Good luck."

Nik got into his car and fired up the engine. He pulled of the side of the street and headed home. Al got into his black 86 and started up his engine. The car pulled out of the side of the road. Al started his way up towards the house behind his brother. Al sat in his Hachiroku until he saw the white 32 coming up behind him. Mei stopped next to Al in their driveway, "What's up?"

"Nik had…an eventful day. He wanted me to work out a strategy with you."

Mei nodded, "Figures, come on."

Mei and Al made their way up to the top of mount. Mei stopped at the top and got out of his Skyline as Al stepped out of the Hachiroku. He walked over and Mei offered him a soda. Al took it and looked up at him, "Do you have a fridge in your car or something?"

Mei smiled, "Just a 6 pack of coke, chill. So, what do you know about this Eclipse your planning to race?"

"Well…" Al sipped the soda and looked up before looking back at Mei, "I didn't hear a turbo and the exhaust still sounded stock."

Mei nodded, "Good, I suppose… Well, there is something I learned from watching a race here on Myogi. Shingo Shouji raced an eclipse and it seemed to have a problem over steering."

"Really?"

Mei nodded, "And the driver was an ok driver until he switched over from his 180SX for something more recent."

"So you think that the car has a problem with over steering, so wont that make him take the corners faster?"

Mei nodded, "On the lighter corners, he'll have an advantage over you, but when you hit the hard corners and hairpins, you'll have the advantage."

"That doesn't make any sense."

Mei sighed, "Look, his car will understeer, meaning he'll have to slow down a lot in order to handle the harder corners. That is where you'll go for the win. Just wait for it."

"How will I know?"

"If you've got any of Nik's instincts, you'll know."

"But I…"

"Shut up. You'll know, ok?"

"Ok, Ok, chill…"

"Good." Mei finished his soda and threw it in a trash can. He got into the drivers seat of the 32 and revved up the engine. He began his way down the mountain slowly. Al stepped into the Hachiroku and made his own way down. Unlike Mei, he didn't go home…

Al pulled up to the side of the house and he saw her waiting on the sidewalk. She was wearing a black skirt which slid down to about 2 inches above her knees. The shirt she was wearing was tight and didn't leave anything to the imagination. She got into the passenger seat and watched as her parents faded into the living room where she was being watched from. She put her hands behind Al's neck and kissed him, "I've been waiting since we got out of school to do that."

Al nodded an awe of the way she had just kissed him, "Ahuh…"

She giggled sweetly and Al pulled away from her house. He accelerated around the corner and looked at her. She looked amazing. He went around a few more before stopping in front of a fast food restaurant. He got out as she did and walked in next to her. He sat down with her and just looked at her for a few minutes.

She looked up at him watching her and blushed, "Why are you looking at me?"

"Because you're gorgeous."

She smiled, "Oh…"

Al went up and got them food and they ate it for a while until he saw one person he didn't want to walk up to him. He saw Yahiko walk up to him and her. He looked at Miki and spoke to her like Al wasn't even here, "Hey, what you doing here sexy?"

Miki shrugged him off. She seemed good at it. Al expected she had a lot of practice with it. He looked over at Al, "Beat it shorty."

Al's eyebrow twitched. He knew he was short, but compared to Yahiko and most any other Japanese guy, he was average if not tall, "Leave her alone Minomoto."

"Chill out Al, I'll take your girl just as easy as I'll beat you on Sunday."

"You know what, you're a pathetic excuse for a racer."

He looked somewhat pissed, "I'm faster than you and better than you, what makes you think I'm pathetic?"

Al stood up and looked him in the eye, "Your attitude is really off. A real racer is honorable."

"You know what; hold on to your girl. I'll just get her after you go back to America when I beat you."

"For starters, your not gonna beat me. Besides that, I'm not going back to America any time soon. And, most importantly, Miki doesn't belong to anyone."

"Why don't we step outside and settle this now?"

"No way, I don't want to fight you."

"I meant on the pavement, me and you, a drag race."

"You know I can't beat your car in a drag race."

"And you can't beat me on the mountain either."

Al clenched his fist. He wanted to hit him. Hell, he wanted to deck him. He also didn't want to get in trouble with Nik and get sent back to America. He looked over at Miki with a smile, "Would you mind if we left?"

She shook her head no and stood up. Yahiko looked insulted. Miki clung to Al's arm as they walked out. He got into his Hachiroku and accelerated off the side of the road. Miki smiled, "You handled that really well."

Al smiled and looked in his rear view mirror and saw a white car coming up on him fast. He shoved into Al's rear bumper and Miki and Al jerked forward. Al looked back again and easily made out the head lights of the Eclipse. Al pushed down harder on the accelerator. He kept up easily. He looked down and over at Miki, "Hold on to something, ok?"

She nodded and grabbed her seat belt tightly. Al accelerated and drifted into a corner. Yahiko's car drifted better then Al had expected. Al had cleared the corner faster so he gained a little ground. Yahiko caught them by the time Al had taken another corner. Al thought, _Yahiko's crazy!_

Al approached the next corner and slammed on the brakes. Yahiko drove around him and took the corner. Al came to a nearly dead stop and turned the other way. He saw Yahiko disappear in his rear view mirror. Al sighed as he pulled up to Miki's house. Miki kissed him once more before she stepped out and walked up her driveway.

Al started to make his way back to the house. He decided it would be smart if he didn't tell Nik or Mei what had happened tonight. He accelerated onto the mountain and made his way up to the house. He pulled into the garage and shut off the engine, "So this is what it's like to be a street racer…"


	21. Young Guns

Al sat around all day Saturday and most of Sunday morning. He was mentally preparing. Yahiko was nuts on the road, so if he drove like that on the downhill, Al might have a problem. Al decided to ask Mei for some advice safely. He couldn't tell him how he knew how Yahiko drove…

Al walked up to Mei as he sat in the kitchen eating some of his homemade noodles. He considered them homemade because he made them in his own microwave. Al looked at his cousin, "Can I ask you for some advice?"

Mei looked up and finished slurping his noodles, "About your race tonight?"

"Yeah, I saw Yahiko driving the other day and he didn't have any trouble over steering."

Mei smiled, "Figures…"

"What figures?"

"He probably was taught the opposite of what his older brother does, that way he could over steer."

"What…?"

"God, let me explain. Mitsubishi's have very similar problems for the most part. For example, the Eclipse has trouble over steering. The 3000GT has trouble under steering. Are we getting somewhere?"

"Yeah, but what about the LanEvo?"

"The LanEvo has rapid acceleration and uses understeer to its advantage, but that's not the point."

"So what's the point?"

"In simple terms, how do you drift?"

"You make the back end slide out and maintain control."

"Exactly, if you can kick the back end out, then all you have to do is keep control. Now, how do you understeer?"

"Front tires take you through the corner instead of the back."

"Good boy. So, if he can keep control with his front because of the understeer and still kick his back end out, then…"

"He has a high level of control because of the front tire grip and he can still let his back end slide, but, that still doesn't explain how he lost front tire traction when entering the corner."

Mei nodded, "You have a point. It could be a result of the force in making the back end slide."

"Yeah, you're right."

"Well, there is one problem I see with that."

"What?"

"His tires would probably wear down pretty fast if he did that…"

"So would that give me the advantage?"

"It depends."

"On what?"

"On whether or not you can pressure him into taking the corners hard, and I mean very hard."

"So how would I do that?"

"Like I said before, trust your instincts."

"Mei!"

"Chill out, I'm saying that you need to figure some of this stuff out on your own."

"But how will I win?"

"It's not about winning and losing, it's about learning."

"Learning?"

Mei stood up and threw his cup of noodles into the trash, "Yup." He grabbed his car keys and then looked back at Al, "I'm going to check up on something, I'll meet you on top of the mountain at 9."

Al nodded and heard the sound of the 32 get farther away. He sat down on the couch and stared at the blank TV screen. What did Mei mean? Al kept thinking about his match until 8:00 came around. Al got dressed and stepped into his Hachiroku. He revved up the engine and made his way up to the top of the mountain. He stopped over next to Nik's FC and Mei's 32. He got out and looked over at the Eclipse which sat next to the 3000GT.

Nik and Al walked over and met them in the middle. Kanryu kept his eyes on Nik the entire time. Nik watched Al as he talked to Yahiko, "So are you ready to race now?"

Yahiko nodded, "You ready to lose like you almost did on Friday?"

Nik looked over at Al with a quizzical eye as Al spoke, "Didn't we already have a discussion about your attitude?"

"Shut up and get in your car so I can beat you and go home."

Al walked away and Nik looked up at Kanryu with a smile, "Kids these days, right?"

Kanryu smiled, "I was just that cocky when I first started out."

"Me too pretty much. That first loss always stuck."

"Yeah, you never feel the same."

"Nope."

Kanryu turned away and walked back over towards his car. Nik walked back over towards the Blak Nite's cars. Al had stepped into his Hachiroku and was waiting for Nik. Al bent down slightly and looked in the unrolled window, "Good luck shorty."

"Don't call me shorty…."

Nik smiled and backed away as Al rolled up his window. He looked over at Mei, "You think he'll win?"

Mei smiled, "You think he's half as crazy as you?"

Nik looked at his taillights as he pulled up to the line, "At least."

"Then yes."

Al pulled up to the line and looked over at Yahiko's car. Yahiko revved up his car as Al did. The power difference could easily be heard. Al centered himself down on the line. He looked up at the first corner. An uphill turn. This is the only corner where Al would be willing to hold back. He would allow him to take the advantage. The driver in front was always under more pressure. That was an easily known fact.

Al watched as a member from the White Lightning team came up to the line. He put his hand up in the air and began counting backwards from 5. Al accelerated once more and then shifted into gear. At one, he laid his foot down on the accelerator and felt his car being pushed forward. He accelerated hard but had little advantage on the uphill climb.

Al held back and let Yahiko take advantage in the corner. Yahiko got the better downhill start. Now it was Al's job to keep with him. Al accelerated through the next corner and shifted up to fourth gear. He was on Yahiko's tail now.

_Keep up with him, that's all you have to do…_

Al continued to follow him and then they came up on the first hairpin. Al watched him begin his drift at the end of the middle of the turn. Al waited till the end and used the curb weight to send the back end outwards. He was able to keep his speed up by doing this. He ended on Yahiko's tail again. Hopefully these maneuvers would get under his skin….

Maka pulled up in between an 180SX and an S-14. Miki got out and ran over to the rail. Maka smiled and followed her. Miki looked over at her boss as she stood next to her.

"See? This is just what you need, a comfortable drive."

"I'm watching other people drive tonight, remember?"

"Yeah, I know you don't like touge, but thank you for driving me up here!"

"Don't worry; I know what it's like to be in love…"

"Oh, yeah, that Nik guy…"

"How do you know it's Nik?"

"I saw you kiss him the other day."

"So?"

"I have seen you kiss two guys since I started working with you almost two years ago and neither of them like that."

"I was just proving a point…"

"Than why are you blushing?"

"Keep your eyes on the road."

Miki smiled and looked at the road again. Maka covered her red cheeks. Did she love Nik? Well, if she did, she wouldn't mind…

Mei looked over at Nik as they sat against the GT-R's hood, "He made it around the first few good. How do you think he's doing now?"

"It's all about Al's ability to get into Yahiko's head."

Mei picked up the radio that had been loaned to him by some of the members of White Lightning. It was a fuzzy signal but it came through ok, _"Third hairpin here, I see the headlights coming down. It looks like the Eclipse is in front but the 86 is on his tail tight. There coming in. Eclipse just whipped out its back end and the Hachiroku held back. Wait, it let it go. The Trueno is no more then a few inches from the Eclipse. They just exited but the Eclipse looked hesitant. The next radio point is at the 15th corner." _ The transmission cut off.

Mei looked up at Nik with a smile, "Well?"

Nik's look remained serious, "It's still early in the race. Let's wait until the 15th corner…"

Mei sighed and looked over at White Lightning. Kanryu and his other teammates remained calm for the most part. A few of them looked worried. Kanryu's face remained stone cold. He didn't seem phased by any of their actions. He seemed to know as well as Nik, it was early in the race…

Al pushed the car through threw continuous 12th 13th corners. He comfortably made his way around the 14th and headed towards the fifteenth. It was a hard left. Al waited until Yahiko broke before he applied pressure to his own brakes. Al watched Yahiko move around the corner. The tires were forced into alignment by the back end sliding. Yahiko really had to put a lot of force into making the car corner.

Al finished and accelerated after him. Al pushed into fourth gear and continued on his way. The only reason Al was really able to keep with him after the corners was because of the amount of braking he used. He was really trying to drive like his brother, Al could tell. Yahiko was so intent on driving as could as his brother that he mimicked his technique and unfortunately used his brakes too much when he enters the corner.

Al realized something as he took the 18th corner. Because Al taught himself how to drift, he didn't have to mimic his brother's technique. Although his brother's technique was very good, Al still had his own method of driving and that showed him how to handle car's in ways that he understood, not that someone else understood. His technique was his own and not someone else's.

Al followed him through the 5th hairpin and continued down the mountain. The car was reacting comfortably. He passed by the 6th hairpin and he knew how far he was down the mountain. Half way point…

_Ok Al, now this is where you kick it up a notch…_

Al accelerated harder and pushed hard through the next wide medium corner. This would be one of the few wide corners that were left. When he found a good one, he would pass and remain in the lead. Mei was right. This race was about him learning. He learned enough to win. That was what he had to do in order to win.

"Danm I'm good…"

Al followed him tightly on the corners and noticed how much pressure Yahiko was putting on his front tires. It was limiting his grip on the road. His car slid more easily through the corners but he wasn't ready for it. He ended up having to readjust himself in order to keep on the road. Al pulled along side him when they exited the 7th hairpin.

They passed by the 8th hairpin and they could see the lights at the bottom of the mountain. Al went through another medium corner. The next hard turn was a right where he had a lot of room to pass. Al entered the corner at top speed. He smoothly downshifted from fourth to second and braked into the corner. He felt his back slide and he watched Yahiko go to the outside. Al stayed tight on the inside and accelerated along side of him.

Yahiko braked when he went into the next medium corner while Al fully used the 86's handling ability in third gear. He was able to pull ahead and get in front of him. Yahiko let up off the gas when he saw Al in front of him. Al accelerated around the next corner while Yahiko tried to regain a grip on reality.

Maka and Miki looked up as they saw the head lights come around the corner. Miki could tell they were pop-up lights like on Al's Trueno. She smiled and screamed out, "Go! Go!"

Maka smiled at him as he got closer and closer to the line. They watched as Al passed the line and pulled into the parking lot. Miki ran over to him as he got out of his car. She wrapped her arms around him with a big smile. Maka watched with a smile.

Alex loved the feeling that was his win. It made it even better when Miki wrapped her arms around him. He placed his arms around her too. Al looked into the beautiful blue eyes of the girl he was so affectionate for and asked, "Do you have a cell phone?"

She nodded with a smile on her face and handed him her cell phone. He opened it and dialed up Nik's number. He heard the cell phone click as Nik picked it up. He spoke loudly, "I WON! I WON! I WON!"


	22. Never Forget

Nik got into the drivers seat of his FC and began his way down the mountain behind Mei. There was a Line of cars both in front of them and behind them. Everyone who had showed up was on their way down. They all gathered in the parking lot and Al ran over to Nik with Miki trailing with Maka.

Al smiled, "I won…"

Nik smiled in return, "I noticed, congratulations."

Mei placed his hand on Al's shoulder, "Did you learn?"

Al nodded in his cousin's direction, "Yeah, I did. Thanks Mei."

Mei smiled and then tapped on Nik's shoulder as he pointed over at Maka. Nik elbowed Mei in the gut and then turned and walked over towards her. She smiled lightly and stopped when Nik was standing in front of her.

"I thought you didn't like mountain racing?"

"I don't, but there's a seventeen year old girl who just couldn't stay away from your brother."

"So you were nice enough to give her a ride?"

"Yes, I'm very nice."

He took another step towards her, leaving him almost a single inch away from her, "Ahuh?"

She smiled, "Ahuh."

He smiled in return. He looked back at Al, Mei, and Maka. They were all happy. Maybe things were starting to get better after all…

"NO!"

Nik's eyes quickly slid over to Kanryu and Yahiko. He could see the anger in the younger brother's eyes as he looked into the eyes of his elder brother. His older brother's gaze was still cold. Nik tried to listen to the conversation.

Kanryu looked down at him, "Hiko, come on…"

"No! I will not congratulate him!"

"You're acting like a child…"

"It doesn't matter. He won, I lost. That's it!"

"What about being a good opponent?"

"I don't care Ryu…"

"You'll never turn out to be a good racer unless you can be a good sportsman."

"Look, just let me go home…"

"Fine, go."

Yahiko walked over to his Eclipse and started up the engine. He squealed his rear tires as he made his way out of the parking lot. Al saw him drift through a corner as he began to make his way home. Kanryu made his way over to Al.

He sighed and looked into Al's eyes, "I'd like to apologize about my brothers actions. He doesn't realize that you don't always win."

"There will always be someone better than you."

"Right, but it is all about winning, right?"

"No, it's about improving."

He smiled, "You're still a young racer, figures you wouldn't understand."

"Hmm?"

Nik walked over towards Kanryu and Al with Maka right next to him. He looked at Kanryu with a stern gaze, "Is the only reason you drive to win?"

He looked over at Nik with a smiled on his face, "When you get to be as good as me, winning is the only enjoyment you get out of racing."

"What do you mean?"

"Are you serious?"

"I enjoy driving in particular; I race because I love to drive."

"You've been driving as long as I have I'd bet. You have to realize there's a line where enjoyment in driving and enjoyment in winning separate."

"Losing is a drag, but it doesn't mean that I didn't enjoy the race I raced in. Don't you ever practice racing?"

"Only on mountains I'm not familiar with, never just for fun."

Nik sighed, "If you lost the enjoyment in just pure driving, where's the fun?"

"Maybe when you get as good as me you'll understand."

Al's adolescent mind wouldn't let him keep quiet past that comment, "My brother IS a better driver than you."

Nik looked down at Al but was interrupted by Kanryu, "Is that so?"

"He recently beat Maya and Simone from Impact Blue ON Usui IN the rain."

A wicked smile fell onto Kanryu's face at the mention of that, "I also heard you beat Blue Blaze from Akagi. They're a pretty decent team too. I also heard a tidbit about the race you guys ran with the Speed Stars. It was lost on a technicality."

Mei sighed, "There was no technicality. It was just me misjudging the course."

"And then you Al. You beat that S-13 from Hidden Gold, right?"

Al smiled, "Yeah, barley."

"I'd say you just qualified for something." He turned around and sat down in his 3000GT and started up the engine.

Nik looked down at him, "Qualified us for what?"

"Blak Nites and White Lightning, Wednesday night. Top of the mountain at 10:00, I'll make sure to clear it with the other teams and the Night Kids."

"Who's racing?"

"Me and you Nik, the winning team will be decided as the number two team on Myogi." He hit the accelerator and squealed out of the parking lot. Al watched as his tail lights slid far around the corner. His style was like Nik's in defense.

Mei's eyes widened and watched as the 3000GT left his view. He sighed and looked at Nik, "Did we just accept a challenge?"

Nik smiled and put his hand around Maka's waist as he turned away, "Apparently…"

"…"

Nik smiled and walked Maka over towards Al and Miki. Maka looked at Miki with a smile, "You want Al to bring you home?"

She answered without looking away from Al, "Sure…"

They walked past Mei over towards Maka's Prelude. Mei could hear the voices of all the people who were watching the race talking about the upcoming one. He sighed and stepped into his 32. The engine revved up but it didn't sound the same as Nakazato's. It figures due to the missing turbo. He pulled out of the parking lot and picked up his cell phone with a smile.

He dialed Simone's number and listened as it rung twice. On the third ring he heard a male voice pick it up. He spoke toughly, "Simone's."

Mei's eyes narrowed, "Who's this?"

"Suichi, her boyfriend."

Mei's jaw fell open and his foot fell onto the brake. He could hear a soft, sensual voice in the background, one he knows all to well, "Come now, I want you…"

His smiled was heard almost as loud as the click of Mei's cell phone ending the call. He pulled off the road into a parking lot and stared at his steering wheel. He then smacked his nose into it four times before he reclined his seat in attempt to stop the blood from flowing. Mei could hardly feel his broken nose. He did feel it five minutes later when he set it again.

Mei turned on his radio and listened to a light tune by some J-pop band he didn't know about. He stared out the window and started daydreaming about the one reason he wanted to stay home…

"_Mike, come on!"_

_Mike turned his head and smiled at Sara. Her red hair flowed down to her shoulders lightly but still showed her beautiful face which was lit up by her green eyes. Her body's curves sleekly flowed down her body like a waterfall. Mike followed her over to his Monte Carlo and opened the passenger door for **his** girl. _

_He started up the engine and looked across the parking lot at Nick as he started up 240. Mike pulled out of the parking lot behind his cousin but he turned the other way and started on his way towards Sara's house. Sara tapped on his shoulder and then looked at her provocative smile._

"_Wrong way Mike…"_

"_Well then what way should I go?"_

"_Lake…"_

_Mike hit the brake and turned the wheel quickly as the rear end of the car swerved 200 degrees around and then he counter steered and accelerated. He got onto the highway and got up to high revving fifth gear, getting him to his exit within a mere five minutes. He then makes his way up the back path fast and catches up to Nick. Nick and Mike battle it out to try and get to the spot first._

_Mike took advantage of Nick on a straight and then pressured him back around a corner. He accelerated and took the road first. In his rear view mirror, he saw Nick's Nissan disappear. He pulled up to the spot by the tree and stepped out of the car with Sara. She sat on the hood and pushed her skirt down slightly. Mike sat next to her and stared at her._

_Mike smiled, "I love you."_

_Sara smiled back on scooted her body onto Mike's lap, "I love you too."_

_Mike wrapped his hands around her back and pulled her closer as he met her lips halfway. She slowly wrapped her hands around the back of his neck and lightly massaged it. He pulled away after a minute. Now seemed as good a time as any to tell her…_

"_Sara, we need to talk…"_

_Sara's beautiful green eyes became filled with worry, "What's wrong!"_

"_Well, I'm leaving…"_

"_Leaving?"_

"_Yeah, for Japan…"_

"_Ja…Japa…"_

"_Yeah, with Nick in about four months…"_

"_Four months!"_

"_Honey…" He leaned up and pressed his lips against hers and he could feel her calm down on her spine, "Don't worry…I want to take you with me…"_

_She looked surprised, "What do you mean?"_

"_I want you to move there with me and Nick. I want to be with you."_

"_So why don't you stay here with me?"_

"_I have to go."_

"_I have school, and my family, and I thought I had you…"_

"_Thought?"_

"_Mike, I love you, but I won't travel all the way around the world for you."_

"_I'd go that far for you…"_

"_Well you don't have too…"_

"_I'm going and I can't change that…"_

"_Then I can't stop you…"_

_Mike looked stunned. She slowly backed away and walked over to a tree. She picked up the phone and dialed her brother. After 15 minutes of silence a blue VW Jetta. Her brother glared at Mike as he pulled away with his sister near tears. Mike felt a part of him die that very moment…_

Mei stared at the roof of his car and then brought his chair back up straight. He stared out the window at the light on the grocery store sign went off. He started up his engine again and drove out of the parking lot. He then found an all night lot and parked there. He crawled into his backseat and lied down there and closed his eyes. He fell asleep quickly as memories flooded his mind…

-

Nik sat in the living room staring at a blank TV. Where was he? He had left hours ago and he wasn't back yet. What the hell was going on in his head? Nik shook his head to get the thoughts of Mei in trouble out of it. Mei was smart. Mei wouldn't do anything stupid…

"He's still not home?"

Nik looked up at his brother standing in a t-shirt and boxers who stood rubbing his eye, "No, not yet."

Al smiled, "You look like dad used to when he was waiting for you to get home on your late practice nights."

"You wanna hear a story that might make you fall asleep?"

He walked over and sat next to his brother, "Wouldn't kill me I guess."

He leaned his head back over the couch slightly and smiled, "When Mei and I got our cars we started to learn how to drift. Soon we got good and then one night we were sitting on that Island in third bay, you remember that one?"

Al yawned and looked at his brother, "Yeah, I remember."

"Well, it was a really dark night out but we could see the moon clearly. Basically we could see three things; the other person, ourselves and the moon. And then we decided that this was the night we would dedicate ourselves to it. So then the next day, we talked about the night and agreed. That's when I got the car color changed to black."

"Oh yeah, It was gray originally, right?"

"Yeah, gray, a light gray too."

"One other question, why do you spell it B-L-A-K N-I-T-E-S instead of B-L-A-C-K N-I-G-H-T-S?

"Oh that... well, we thought it was cool."

"Oh, Ok… well, I'm going to sleep. I'd suggest you do the same."

"Nope, not till Mei gets home."

"He'll be fine. Now go." Al stood up and was reluctantly followed down the hall by Nik. Nik walked into his bedroom and took off his shirt before lying down on his bed. He closed his eyes and tried his best to fall asleep. He spoke quietly before he dozed off.

"Where the fuck are you Mei…?"


	23. A Bad Day

Mei woke up as the sun rose the next morning. He lifted his body up and saw some kids staring at his car. He shrugged them off and slid into his driver's seat. He rubbed his eyes and cracked his neck before searching through his ashtray for his keys. He started up the engine and revved it twice. It still personally sounded weak…

Mei pulled out of the parking lot and started towards the gas station. He was hoping all the fumes might clear his head up. At the moment, it was pounding. He should have gone home last night. They were probably worried. He picked up his cell phone and dialed Nik's number.

-

Nik felt his phone vibrate in his pocket while he had his coffee. He picked it up and looked at the name on the screen. His eyes widened and he pressed the answer button, "Mei?"

"Yeah, hey."

"Hey, where have you been?"

"No where, I just slept in my car last night. I'm on my way to work."

"Oh, ok… you sure you're alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, just a crazy night."

"Ok, stop by the restaurant for dinner, it's on me."

"Alright, see ya."

"Yeah, bye…"

The phone conversation ended and Nik shoved his cell phone back into his pocket. He looked out the door to the garage at his FC. What was up with Mei? He would have to try and find out tonight. He walked out to his car and started up his engine. Al woke up to the sound of it and got into the car with a piece of toast five minutes later.

Nik started off down the mountain and got to the bottom within 10 minutes. He had previously planned to skip work today but he wanted to go see Maka for some odd unknown reason. He pulled up to the high school and dropped off Al with Miki. He pulled out of the lot and headed towards the restaurant. He pulled up next to the restaurant and got out. He looked the car and walked up the stairs and inside. He walked into the back and turned on all of the ovens and then took care of the two waiting customers. After that he just sat and waited for Maka. He also worried about Mei.

-

Mei said good bye to the lady in the blue Levin and stepped back as she pulled away. He walked back over to the station wall and saw two of his other employees talking. He smiled and walked up to the taller of the two, "What you guy's talking about?"

The taller one, Kuri, turned and looked at him, "Nothing, it's just we heard your team is going up against White Lightning."

Mei looked intrigued, "You guy's know of White Lightning?"

The other one, Akechi, "Yeah, we now all the local teams. Me and Kuri were thinking off starting a team once we get good enough."

Mei's eyes fell upon the car that both of them owned, an S-13, and then his eyes went back to them, "You guys like a rally team?"

Kuri smiled, "Yeah, that's how we like to drive. Akechi is better at driving then me so he drives but my dad has driven the passes a lot with me since I was a kid. I know them better."

Mei smiled, "I wish you both luck with your racing career."

Akechi looked up ay him, "Maybe someday we'll be as good as you and Nik. We're going up to the race on Wednesday."

Mei sighed, "I hope Nik does alright. This could be good for the whole team…"

Kuri stood up and walked over to a Toyota Pick-up that had just pulled in. Mei took his spot against the wall and waited for another customer who might be pulling in. Luckily he saw a blue LanEvo V pull in. He walked over to it with a smile but then stopped when he noticed something about the driver.

"Mike… It is you, isn't it?"

Mei's fist clenched, "Bryan…"

He smiled and stepped out of his car, leaving him at eye height with Mei, "What a coincidence, I'd thought you'd have ran home to your mommy by now."

Mei ignored his comment almost entirely, "How's Sara?"

His smiled turned to a disgusted look, "You have the nerve to leave my sister to come half way around the world and now ask how she is?"

"It was just a question Bryan."

"She's perfectly fine, except for the fact that my parents are worried out of their minds about her."

"Why?"

"She hasn't gone out with one person since you broke up with her and now their worried out of their minds that she'll never get married."

"She's 22 Bry; she's got a long life ahead of her."

"Three years Mike, Three!"

"It's Mei now. I left Mike in America."

"Where you left Sara?"

"Where she left me."

"Well Mei, she came."

"What?"

"She came to Japan you jackass!"

Mei's eyes widened. Did she really? Was she here? He managed to force his eyes back to normal, "She did?"

"Yes, to come and get you, my parents were stupid enough to let her look for you."

"And you weren't?"

"I personally think you can go to hell."

"So you won't tell me where she is?"

"No, I won't, there's nothing you can do to make me."

"I'll do anything!"

"Anything?"

Mei could hear the intrigue in his voice, "Anything…"

"How about a street race?"

"A race?"

"Yeah, you still remember how to race, don't you?"

"Yeah, and by the sound of this thing, you've learned."

"Hell yeah, and there's no why I'll let you beat me. I've got almost 300 HP."

Mei's eyes widened. 300? His R32 only had around 220 due to the missing turbo. But Sara… "I'll race you, when?"

He got into his driver's seat since had car had gotten filled up by Akechi while he was talking. He looked out at Mei, "Wednesday at 10 o'clock at the bottom of Tochigi."

"Wait, my team has a race on Myogi that night."

"Decide what's more important, your team or Sara." He placed the pedal to the floor and squealed all four of his tires as he made his way out of the lot. Mei watched as his car drove off into the distance. He knew he loved Sara. He knew what he was going to do…

-

Mei walked into the restaurant at 7 o'clock. He took a seat in one of the booths and was soon joined by Al. Al smiled and began a conversation with him. Al was almost as worried about Mei as Nik was…

Al smiled, "So how are you?"

"I'm fine, how about you?"

Miki brought them over two cups of coffee and kissed Alex quickly. Al smiled and looked at Mei, "Great…"

Mei watched as Miki walked away towards the counter to seat some more customers, "Apparently… I'm happy for you."

"Thanks."

Nik walked out of the kitchen and stopped when he saw Mei and Al. He looked Mei down as he made sure that he wasn't injured. He looked fine except for a small bruise on his nose. Nik smiled and took a seat next to Al, "Glad to see you're not dead."

"Yeah... Nik, could we talk alone?"

Al looked at Mei oddly but then he saw his eyes. They looked especially determined. Al nodded and got up with his coffee. Mei watched him as he took a seat at the counter and then looked at Nik, "Nik, I need to borrow some cash from you."

"How much?"

Mei was reluctant, but he knew he needed it, "250,000."

"200,000!"

"Yes."

"Why the fuck do you need that much?"

Maka's head popped out of the window and looked at Nik, "Nik, shut up!"

Nik managed to contain his voice as Mei answered, "I need to buy a turbocharger for the 32. Its turbo ready but the system would still be pretty expensive."

"Why do you need a turbo right now, can't it wait?"

"No."

"Mei, we've got bills to pay."

"Look, Nik, I can't tell you why, but this is more important then some stupid bills."

"What's so important about a turbo charger?"

"It's not the charger, it's the reason why I need it…"

Nik's look became concerned that very second, "What reason?"

"I can't tell you…"

"Mei, are you on drugs?"

"No!"

Maka's head once again popped out of the window, "Shut up!"

Mei looked over at her, "You shut up!"

Nik looked at Mei, "Dude, chill out…"

Maka looked furiously at the same person, "Get out of my restaurant!"

"No, I'm having a discussion with Nik, so but out!"

"This is my restaurant!"

Nik looked into her furious eyes, "Maka, chill out…"

"No! This asshole won't shut up and he's bothering my customers!"

An old Japanese man looked at Maka, "Actually Miss, you're the one disturbing us now."

She looked over and blushed, "Oh, I'm sorry." She put on a fake smile in an attempt to sell her restaurant.

Mei grabbed his cup of tea and finished it quickly. Maka looked back at him, her eyes a blaze. Nik felt his head throbbing. He couldn't take it anymore… "Everybody shut the fuck up!"

Mei, Miki, Maka, Al, and the old man looked at Nik, "The restaurant is closed, everyone get out!"

The old man got up quickly and walked out the door. Nik's eyes shifted towards Al, "Get Miki home Al. Maka, Mei, Sit down!"

Maka looked up at Nik as Mei sat down, "Don't tell me what to do!"

"You should listen sometimes, you might learn something."

"Are you telling me that I don't listen?"

"Yes."

"Shut up!"

"You want me to shut up? You're the one raving like a lunatic!"

"Get out, you're fired!"

"Fine!" Nik turned and walked out of the restaurant. Mei followed him while he was nearly about to burst with laughter. When he got outside, he did. Nik collapsed onto the hood of his car. Maka could be heard screaming in anger all the way down the block. Nik rolled over and looked up into the star filled night, "Beautiful…"

Mei smiled and walked over to Nik, "It's ok, there are plenty of fish in the sea."

"I know. Like you and Simone. You've totally moved on from Sara and now you're with her."

Mei froze up. He couldn't tell him that she was here. He shook it off, "Simone broke up with me, I'll see you at home."

Nik looked up at him just in time to see him step into his 32 and drive off. Nik looked confused. It was a confusing day. He got into his car and started to make his way home. He was tired and annoyed. Two days before the biggest race of his life. This was great…


	24. Preparations

The next morning started at 3 am. Mei woke up Nik and begged him for money. Nik was too tired to argue so he agreed. Nik then passed out as Mei went out to his R32 and started up the engine. He pulled out and headed out towards the parts shop. He was there an hour early.

When they opened, Mei went inside and asked for his part. They had a set on supply and they brought it to him immediately. Mei took it and paid for it with a check for 200,000 yen. He walked out and got into his 32 and headed back home. He was home at 8 am and locked the garage door. Then he went to work.

-

Nik woke up at nine and looked out into the garage. He saw Mei's head deep inside of his car engine with a wrench in his hand. Nik raised his right eyebrow and lowered his left one slightly, a family trait that all three of them could do. Nik opened the door and looked at Mei who stood with grease up to his elbows and his gray sweat pants covered in black.

Nik sighed, "Installing the turbo?"

"Turbos, it has a dual turbo."

"Oh yeah, a 32 thing."

"Yup…"

"You want some help?"

"Yeah, hand me a ¾ inch socket wrench."

"Sure." Nik rummaged through the tool box and found the right size wrench. He pulled it out and handed it to Mei. Mei ran it down into the engine and began to twist it until it was tightly connected. He pulled out and looked at his work, "It look's good."

Nik smiled, "So you're done?"

"For now…"

"For now?"

"Yeah, I'm gonna take a break and install the other one after lunch. That would be the one that's harder to get at…"

"I'll help you with it."

"Thanks, I'd appreciate it."

"Yeah, so, you wanna talk about the race tomorrow night?"

Mei cringed. He had forgotten to tell Nik that he couldn't go. I guess he would have to… "Nik, I can't be there…"

Nik looked confused, "Why not? It's for the whole team; it won't mean anything unless you're there."

"I've got something else that I have to do…"

"Something more important?"

"Yes…"

"So what is it?"

"Nik, do you remember my old girlfriend Sara?"

"Yeah, you wanted her to come to Japan with us."

"She came here looking for me…"

"Congrats, so how is she?"

"I don't know…"

Nik's confused look came back to his face, "Huh?"

"You remember her brother Bryan?"

"Yeah, I crushed him on a lake run."

"He raced back then?"

"Yeah, he was one of my last races on the lake. His Jetta didn't want to turn as much as he did."

"Well, now he has an Evo 5 with 280 stock HP."

"Wow, not bad…"

"Yeah, and he won't let me see Sara unless I beat him in a race on Mt. Tochigi on Wednesday."

"Oh, I understand. Your decision is easy, good luck with your race."

Mei smiled and hugged Nik, "Thanks man."

Nik hugged him back, "You're welcome bro."

Mei pulled back, "So coffee?"

"Yeah, coffee."

Mei went inside and got two cups of coffee that he then brought out to the two of them. Nik drank his coffee with a smile glad that Mei wasn't doing drugs. Being in love was a lot better then being on drugs.

-

Al walked over to his Hachiroku with Miki. Miki got into his passenger seat and Al started up the car. They pulled out and saw Yahiko staring at him. Ever since Sunday, most of the school had been applauding him except for Yahiko. Al didn't mind much at all. He turned another corner and dropped off Miki at work. Al spoke quickly when he stopped.

Al looked over at her, "So how is Maka?"

"A mix between crushed and pissed."

"I'll come pick you up at 9:30, ok?"

"Ok." She leaned over his E-brake and gear shift and pressed her lips against his. Al welcomed it and then watched as she stepped out of the car and walked into the restaurant. Al turned around and headed home. He got back and saw Mei and Nik working on the R32. Mei was underneath the engine and Nik was on top. They were attempting to fit in the second turbo charger.

Al smiled and walked into the house. He saw that the house phone had a voice mail. The blinking light was hard to ignore. He walked over and dialed the number that was on the phone as 'voice mail'.

Al heard the voice of his mother on the phone clearly, "Hi Nick, Mike, Alex. We just called to double check that you guys were coming home for Christmas. We've already reserved the tickets so everything is all set. We really miss you guys and Al especially. Aunt Katie has been worried sick about Mike. You guys just come home soon. Love you!"

Al heard a beep as the message ended. He smiled and walked into the kitchen to get a soda. He picked one out of the fridge and opened it. He pressed the can against his bottom lip and poured into his mouth. The cold tingle on his tongue was refreshing. He placed it down and looked out the window as Mei's hand met Nik's.

He smiled again and walked into his bedroom where he lied down. He yawned and took out his books. He began to work on his homework without interruption. He heard the door open and close when they came in and then he heard the sound of soda cans opening as they clicked their cans together. He also could smell dinner cooking when he left at 5:30. When he got back at 7 he saw them sitting down with dinner in the pan. He fixed himself a plate and took a seat next to Mei.

Al smiled as he finished chewing his first bite of chicken, "Mom called about Christmas plans. She said she purchased the tickets for us."

Nik nodded, "Yeah, that's good."

Al stuffed some rice into his mouth before he spoke again, "Mom said Aunt Katie really misses Mei."

Mei smiled, "I miss her too, I don't nearly talk to her enough."

Al nodded, "I hate to admit it, but I miss mom and dad too."

Nik nodded, "Yeah, going home for the holidays might be just what we need."

Al nodded and finished up the rest of his meal in two bites, "You guys get some sleep. Big race tomorrow, right?"

Mei and Nik answered collectively, "Yup."

The rest of the night was quiet until Al got back from picking up Miki. Then they all separately went to bed. Mei fell asleep smiling. Nik fell asleep smiling. Al fell asleep smiling. It was a very 'smiley-faced' house.

-

The next morning was an early one as usual. Mei had taken the day off of work again and Nik had no job to go to anymore. Al went to school but came home soon after. They all sat and waited. They even prayed a little bit too.

6 o'clock is when things got started. Mei walked out to his car and started up the 32's engine. Mei smiled as he revved up and felt the power rumble underneath the hood. He put the car in reverse and backed out of the garage. He looked back at Nik and Al standing like statues smiling at him. Mei smiled back and slowly made his way down the mountain. He got onto the highway and accelerated out of Gunma and went towards Tochigi.

He got to the mountain before 8 o'clock. He made three uphill runs on the pass to get used to it. He wasn't especially comfortable with it but he would have to try something. He sat around and awaited the arrival of his opponent and maybe his love…

-

9 o'clock rolled around and Nik headed up the mountain as Al headed down. Al had promised to wait for him at the bottom. Nik accelerated hard on the uphill run. He stopped at the top and then saw some Mitsubishi headlights coming up behind him. He saw as the entire team came up and he saw Kanryu park in front of all of them. He also saw a lot of bright colored cars also pull up. He had the only black one that was there.

Kanryu began to make his way over to him. Nik also walked over towards Kanryu as well. They met in the middle. Kanryu spoke first, "Glad to see you showed up."

"I wouldn't leave you hanging."

"You still think you're gonna win?"

"No."

"You're admitting defeat now?"

"No, I know I'm gonna beat you."

"Your over confidence will be your downfall."

"You under estimate your opponent too easily."

"I'll see you at the bottom."

"I'll still get there first." Nik turned around and walked back towards his FC. He could hear Kanryu's footsteps as he turned and went back towards his 3000GT. Kanryu would have the advantage on the uphill run, but the downhill was a different story. On the downhill, it was more about control and grace then power. Nik knew he could do it. This was his mountain and tonight was the night he proved it…

-

Mei heard the sound of the Evo V coming up behind him. He turned and saw two people sitting in it. One with beautiful red hair and green eyes the Mei could remember all to well. He watched it park next to him.

He watched as the car let out its passengers. Sara's eyes were full of happy tears that were ready to burst. Mei smiled compassionately for the first time in too long. Unfortunately his perfect view of loveliness was blocked by Bryan's ugly face, "You ready?"

"Yeah, let's race."

Mei watched as Sara walked around his car and stood in the middle. She put her hand in the air and waited until she saw her brother step into the drivers seat of his Evo. Sara started to count down. Mei was enchanted by her soft voice…

"5…4…"

-

Nik pulled his FC up to the line next to Kanryu's 3000GT. He revved up his engine twice and was no where near matching the power Kanryu's power, the whole crowd could hear the difference. Nik's eyes met those of Kanryu. Kanryu's determination could be easily seen.

Nik pulled his eyes back on the road. He closed his eyes as he thought, _'Ok Nik, this is a race. Mei has a race. Al is waiting for you at the bottom. You've lost your job and Mei just used all your money to buy his turbocharger. You're poor, depressed, and you have to go home to your parents who think your living a great successful life. No forget all that shit and drive.'_

His eyes opened as determined as Kanryu's. His eyes were focused on the road ahead. His head was calm and clear. He focused on the wheel and revved up his engine with a level of commitment.

He saw a man from White Lightning come up and put his hand in the air he started counting down from five. That was the only thing that Nik heard besides the low revving of his engine and the click in his transmission block as he pushed the shifter into 1st gear. He listened to the man's words…

"3…2…"


	25. For Love and Honor

"1…GO!"

Nik pressed the accelerator to the floor hard and followed Kanryu off the line. Nik pulled in behind him and drifted tight through the uphill turn. He noticed how Kanryu kicked out his back end excessively as he easily kept front tire control. His style was likes Nik with one exception. Nik's involved more force in kicking out his rear end then Kanryu.

Nik was able to stay tight as he pushed through the next two on Kanryu's tail. Then the first hairpin cam towards them. Kanryu entered the corner nearly the same way and speed that Nik did. He powered through it which let him gain ground but it also wore down on his brakes quite a bit. Nik remained calm through the corner and kept very close to him at the end. Nik had gained ground in that corner but lost it soon after.

Nik followed him through the next group of light turns. His shifting was right on key. Kanryu still seemed calm. He should be it is early in the race. Nik turned the wheel into the medium left turn and prepared for the hard right that came after it. Kanryu wasn't slowing down. Was he crazy?

Nik watched as Kanryu began a drift on the next side and actually kept a basic level of control. Nik could also see him struggling. He must have been going to fast. He saw the rear end of his car scrape the rail. Nik pulled up along side of him on that turn. The more Kanryu tried to pull away, the easier it became to catch up to him. Nik wasn't sure if he was purposely doing this or whether he was actually just trying to pull ahead.

Nik slid through the next hairpin fast and exited quickly afterwards. Kanryu was an excellent driver but the corners were coming at him too quickly. It was like he wasn't ready for them. How did this guy get to be the number two driving team on Myogi?

-

Mei squealed his tires as he started his way up the mountain. His eyes were looked on hers until he had passed her. Then it was him, Bryan, and the mountain. Mei swerved through the first turn and then through the second. His 32 was on the tail of the Evo.

Bryan slid around the turns continuously and couldn't drive any closer to the outside. He put so much pressure on the front tires that he should have had problems with under steering by now. He was driving to aggressively. He was overly used to the lighter weight body of his Jetta.

Mei knew that Bryan couldn't be used to this car yet. It looked too new. He could clearly remember the race between Nik and him back in the U.S. Bryan drove with an amazing level of stupidity in that race. It was surprising that he and his car weren't left at the bottom off the lake. The only thing that kept him on land was the fact that his car was heavy. The weight kept him alive on the corners he pushed too hard through but Nik still took advantage of him in the harder corners.

The LanEvo had close to the same weight as the Jetta, but it was easier to control through the AWD set-up. Another advantage that Bryan received from the LanEvo was its power. The stock turbocharger gave him near 280 HP. The Jetta had around 180 HP. The added power gave him a very large advantage.

Mei's GT-R was heavier than the LanEvo because it had a larger engine. Besides that, they pretty much equaled out. The weight would hold him back, but besides that, they were even. If Mei put a little more acceleration into it…

-

Nik was beginning to realize just how much of a pain in the ass this 3000GT could be. He took up the entire width of the road when drifting on the hard corners. He was also controlling his speed better now. He was still leaving a lot of space on the lesser corners but it didn't help him at all because his car wouldn't accelerate.

Nik's car had been upgraded with in installed turbo but it was a serious pain. Mei had helped him with installing a new muffler too. His car had been pushed up to somewhere around 220 HP just by that and then he went to the dealership to have a new chip installed. That pushed his car up to 250 HP.

Kanryu's car still had 320 stock HP. If he was still driving on just the extremely high stock power, Nik was still left at a disadvantage power wise. On a straight or oval course, he would have either lost or been left in the dust by now.

Nik was lucky that this course was downhill and had curvy turns like the one he had just taken. After clearing the turn, he headed through the next one right behind him. Nik just couldn't seem to pass him at this point in the race. Nik watched as his car passed by the halfway point and he took a long slide drift through the next corner.

Kanryu's 3000GT was too poised to win. Kanryu refused to show any sign of weakness. Nik was right with him in the corners but it didn't seem to faze him. Nik's mind tactics weren't working. Nik would have to push harder. Nik shifted up into fifth gear and slowly began to catch up to Kanryu.

They entered the next corner simultaneously. Nik was forced to the outside of the corner and had to pull back so he didn't get hit by Kanryu. Nik's eyes followed the rear end of his car as he pulled to the outside on the turn. Nik accelerated and shifted up again to pull along side of him. They jointly went towards the next hairpin turn neck and neck.

Nik held back on the gas and let Kanryu take the turn first. He watched as Kanryu drove from the outside to the inside and then outside again. Nik swung his cars back end around and took up the entire width of the road at the exit of the corner. He accelerated and got behind him again. Nik was watching…

-

Mei pulled around the hairpin corner and shifted back up to fourth gear. He quickly approached the next turn and turned into it behind Bryan. Bryan kept taking more ground on the small straights and he didn't let up much on the corners.

He couldn't lose. This was the only opportunity he'd ever have to be with the girl he loved. His memories of her flood back to him. The day they met, the day he asked her to that stupid movie, the day he first kissed her, the feeling of her lips, her hair tickling his cheek, her hands massaging the back of his neck, the way she screamed the first time she drove with him, the way he screamed the first time he drove with her, her beautiful green eyes…

"I'm not losing!"

Mei accelerated harder and shifted up to fifth gear. His foot pushed down harder on the accelerator pedal and accelerated up to a comfortable 220 km/h. He was just grazing the red line. He saw the tail lights of Bryan's Evo get closer and closer. He saw them disappear around the corner and then as he exited that hairpin they were even closer. Mei's eyes were completely and totally focused on his tail lights and he followed them more and more until he was right next to them. Mei took the next corner and then looked at the number marked on it. He remembered that number. He was ¾'s of the way up the mountain…

-

Nik followed him a little farther and studied his hairpin technique on two more turns before he made his move. Nik downshifted into third gear as he approached the apex of the turn. He kept his acceleration up so he would keep right next to him. He watched as he went to the inside of the corner and then he started his drift. He kept tight to the outside lane and didn't allow him to pull out.

Nik watched as he slowed down and drifted out of the hairpin. Nik accelerated and took the lead on Kanryu. Nik looked in his rear view mirror and noticed Kanryu's eyes. He looked as though he had just saw a man die. Nik noticed how his car had let up on the gas. Nik floored his and drifted around the next turn. It took a small while before he could see Kanryu's headlights trying to catch up to him.

Nik's eyes remained as focused as they had started out. His commitment to the race had started at the starting line and refused to leave him until the finish line was reached. His eyes periodically returned to his rear view mirror to look at the 3000GT that loomed behind him.

He drifted and accelerated and drifted and powered through and turned through the next corners and soon he could see the street lights that hung over the parking lot. Nik pulled around the last corner and went full throttle down to the finish line…

-

Al stepped out of his Hachiroku when he heard Nik had passed Kanryu on the 12th hairpin. He looked up the mountain and noticed the headlights come around the 5th to last corner. He smiled as he heard the rotary engine roaring loudly.

Nik watched him quickly come around the last corner. Al pulled out his stop watch and looked at it carefully. He pressed the stop button as Nik passed along the line. He smiled at the black RX7. It was finally over…

-

Mei knew that it wasn't over yet. The course kept swerving and Mei kept accelerating with a look like he was gonna kill someone on his face. He pushed around the next medium corner and made his way up towards the second to last corner. He pushed through right next to Bryan wand made his way up towards the last turn neck and neck.

Mei looked over quickly, glancing at him. Bryan had pushed his car hard into his high gears. Mei was right next to him. Mei had the inside advantage on the turn. He knew exactly how to execute the turn perfectly. He heel-toe downshifted and handled the corner in his AWD car as if it was a FR car. He didn't have to slow down as much and Bryan was forced to slow down and back off.

Mei accelerated and felt as though he started a race with all four tires warming up. He skidded out in front and saw the finish line approaching him. He shifted up and kept up his speed until he reached the top. A smile slowly came to his face as he realized he had won. He had won her back…

-

Al walked up to his brother and watched him step out of his FC, "You won't believe this!"

Nik looked over to him with a smile, "Yeah, I won, yip."

"No, not that."

"Hmm?"

"I asked one of the guys from White Lightning and he said the previous course record was 2:45:16."

"So?"

"Look at your time." Al handed his brother the stopwatch and Nik looked at it. His look of no care soon turned to astonishment. He read the number out loud to himself, "2…2:4…2:45…2:45:1…"

Al smiled, "That's right, 2:45:17. You beat the old second fastest time by three seconds."

"The one that used to belong to me."

Nik and Al looked up at Kanryu standing there with a few of his teammates. His face still seemed drained of any emotion at all. He really did take winning seriously. Nik watched him carefully.

Kanryu sighed, "Congratulations on your win."

Nik smiled, "Thanks, you put up a real good fight."

"Yeah, you actually reminded me of something tonight."

"Really? What?"

A smiled crept on to the emotionless face of Kanryu, "I enjoyed losing tonight."

Nik put his hand out towards him, "I enjoyed racing tonight."

Kanryu shook his hand, "Welcome to the number two spot Nik."

Nik smiled, "Yeah, I feel accomplished."

He turned and began to walk away but first he looked back with a stone cold look on his face, "You've made it up the chain Nik. Now that you're at number two, don't remain satisfied. My one mistake was being satisfied with being number two. You keep going and be the best."

Nik continued to smile, "Don't worry. My teams been on a winning streak lately and we're not giving up now. I'll keep racing, don't worry about that."

Kanryu smiled and continued walking back to his car. Nik stood with Al for a moment before he looked at him with a smile, "Let's get home."

Al nodded and walked over to his 86 and Nik went to the FC. They both started their engines and pulled into the line of cars leaving. They got out and Nik followed Al back home.

-

Mei drove into the parking lot and pulled a 180 degree turn before heading past Bryan and back down the mountain. He pushed hard all the way down until he could see her standing in a black coat waiting for them. Mei hit the brakes and pulled up on his E-brake. He came to a near dead stop and looked out his window at her.

"Mike?"

Mei stepped out of his car and looked into her green eyes, "Hi…"

Mei watched her for one second but then he felt her arms slide around his shoulders. He felt her head rest on his shoulder as his arms quickly made their way around her waist. He pulled her closer and held her tightly.

He heard her soft voice speak subtly, "I've missed you so much…"

"I've missed you too…"

He held her close to him with warmth in his heart that he hadn't felt since he had left her. He held her close to him until he saw Bryan come down. Bryan stared at him with an evil glare but he soon denied it and said that she wanted her home by midnight. Mei agreed just so he could leave. Mei and Sara got into the 32 and drove up to a point of the mountain where they got out of the car and sat against the hood.

Sara looked out on the starry night and smiled, "Kinda familiar, huh?"

Mei's eyes were locked on hers, "Yeah, and I hope you're not leaving this time."

Sara moved her body closer to his and put her hands behind his neck and massaged it lightly, "I promise that I'll never leave you again."

"Good, because I wouldn't let you anyway." He wrapped his hands around her body and pulled her closer to him and pressed his lips against hers. She was tense at first but Mei felt her come and allow him to kiss her. Mei felt like he'd fallen in love all over again…


	26. The End For Now

Nik pulled into the garage followed by Al around 11:00. He got out of his black car and locked the doors. He and Al sat at the kitchen table for a while. Al's eyes wandered to Nik for an answer to a question.

Al hesitated at first but then decided to go for it, "Nik, could I ask you a question?"

Nik looked up from his half full can of soda, "Yeah, shoot."

"Well, I was wondering if you'd be willing to let me finish out high school here."

"Here in Japan?"

"Yeah."

Nik smiled, "You keep up your grades and keep doing the deliveries, and its good with me. Mom and Dad are a different story."

"I'll take care of them when we go to visit for the holidays."

Nik smiled, "You got it then."

Al smiled and finished off his soda in one more sip. He threw it in trash can and walked in to his bedroom. He took off most of his clothes and lied down in his bed and fell asleep with a smile on his face.

Nik finished off his can of soda and grabbed a bottle of Sake out of the fridge. It had been a while since he'd drunken alcohol but he could remember how. He took it and walked out onto his porch that overlooked the valley below Myogi.

He placed the two cups he had grabbed on the table next to him and poured himself a cup of sake. He brought the cup to his lips and sipped it slightly. It tasted good for once. He actually remembered stuff better with the slight buzz he received when his fourth cup came around.

The first race against Blue Blaze. Mei's uphill run where he took complete advantage on the upper hairpins and then Nik's personal trick with making his own course on Akagi. The team's first win.

Then there was Sano's Hidden Gold. His WRX was a strong car and would have done well giving the opportunity that Nik would be the one racing him. But Al had raced. He had taken the win on the C-121 and held the lead from there out.

Then the Speed Stars and the death of the Sil-eighty. Mei was always cocky and now he realized just how much. It was there loss and it hit hard but they knew they would come back. And they did with the Sil-eighty.

Maya and Simone in their Sil-eighty was a very dangerous opponent. Driving in the rain was what made it worse. Three laps. Nik made his move on the third lap and was able to pass her. It was an amazing race against a special opponent.

Then Al and Yahiko battled it out down Myogi. It was Al's first hardcore race. He did exactly what he should. He followed his opponent and pressured him through the turns to eventually wear him down and take the win. It was a good race for a starting racer. Nik was proud.

That race was the one that lead up to the race Nik had finished earlier that night. The race between Nik and Kanryu, Black and White. He had focused all the way through the race. He had won a race that was on completely equal territory. It was driver vs. driver. He had been the better one.

Then there was Mei, whose engine could be heard pulling into the garage. Mei had had an uphill run with a LanEvo V. He had to drive like a maniac and put all he had into it. He also worked hard to install a dual-turbo kit within one day.

Mei walked out onto the porch and sat next to Nik. He smiled and poured himself a cup of sake from the half full bottle. He smiled at Nik, "What are you doing out here?"

Nik looked back and took another sip of his sake, "Sitting."

Mei sipped his and then looked at him again, "Apparently."

Nik smiled, "So you won?"

Mei looked surprised, "How did you know?"

"You smell like vanilla. Sara always used to smell like vanilla. The only way you could have gotten close enough to Sara to catch her scent is if you won, that simple."

"You're a crazy son-of-a-bitch, you know that?"

"Yes, and don't call my mom a bitch."

Mei smiled and took another sip of Sake before he stared up at the nearly full moon. Nik's eyes also wandered to it. Nik was once again reminded of that night when he and Mei had decided on being racers…

_Nick accelerated behind the Monte Carlo and downshifted as he slid around the turn behind Mike. Mike's car was moving fast that night and Nick was struggling behind him. Mike used his four-gear automatic car to its fullest potential as Nick struggled behind him in his five-gear 240SX. _

_Nick knew that it was easier for Mike because of the transmission and Nick didn't mind. He long-slide drifted behind Mike and then drove up the dirt road on to the island. The moon shone brightly off their cars as Nick stepped out of his car._

_He smiled and walked over to Mike, "Good job on the Hairpin."_

_Mike nodded and leaned against the hood of his Chevy, "Yeah, It's all in knowing when to kick out the back end."_

"_Yeah, I'm still working on figuring out my timing for the continuous corners back at the start of the race."_

"_Good, good."_

_Nick leaned against the hood of his 240 and stared at the moon, "Nice night."_

"_Yup…we've been getting pretty good lately, huh?"_

_Nick nodded, "Yeah, I guess…why?"_

"_Well, I was thinking, if we get good…I mean, REALLY good…do you think you wanna go pro?"_

"_Pro? I don't know, I've heard there's a lot of racing like this in Japan."_

"_Yeah, I know, Touge racing."_

"_Well, I guess we could keep practicing and see how good we get…"_

"_Well, do you want to start a team?"_

"_A racing team?"_

"_Yeah, why not?"_

"_I don't know, what would we call ourselves. 'The two dickheads'?"_

"_Come on; use that big head of yours."_

_Nick's eyes fell back upon the star filled sky and he sighed. What could he call a good-for-nothing team? I mean, if they practiced every night they could get good. But it's dark at night and they might crash. If they were willing to put themselves through all those black nights…_

"_What about 'Black Nights'?"_

"_Knights with a K?"_

"_No, nights with an N."_

"_That sounds stupid."_

"_Well, why don't we spell it our way then?"_

"_You mean like, N-I-T-E-S?"_

"_Yeah, and black will be B-L-A-K."_

"_So, Blak Nites?"_

_Nik smiled, "Hell yeah, why not?"_

_They smiled and looked up at the moon again. This was the time that they would always remember as the birth of the Blak Nites. On the black night that only the moon and the Nites stood in…_

"I'm gonna hit the sack. G'night."

"Night." Nik nodded and watched as his cousin walked away from him and into the house. Nik grabbed the bottle of sake and poured himself another cup. He sipped from it and stared up at the moon again.

He was reminded of his race tonight. His coming out race. It was a good feeling. His win wasn't the only thing he thought about. He was also thinking about what Kanryu had told him after the race.

"_Now that you're at number two, don't remain satisfied. My one mistake was being satisfied with being number two. You keep going and be the best."_

Could he not be satisfied? His whole life, Nik drove only because he enjoyed driving. He was satisfied with just that. Now he was told to keep going. That wasn't the part that scared him. It was the fact that he wanted to…


End file.
